MMJ PATIENT TRACKING?

Medical Pot Advocates Concerned About Draft Rules for Industry

Medical marijuana advocates are concerned that proposed new
regulations for the industry will result in patient tracking, scaring
patients away from wanting to be a part of the system.

The Cannabis Therapy Institute is asking advocates to oppose the
draft rules by the Colorado Department of Revenue because they say it
will lead to fear.

The rules, released at the end of August, consist of 92 pages of
proposed regulations. Much of it will become the basis for permanent
regulations for the burgeoning medical marijuana industry in
Colorado, and perhaps set a template for states across the nation.

But while state regulators say they are only developing
"protections," patients and advocates are arguing that the rules
would violate constitutional rights to privacy as a patient.

"Caregivers reluctantly gave up their constitutional right to provide
medicine to their patients, and now they are faced with volumes of
new regulations and thousands of dollars more in costs to bring their
'centers' into compliance," states an e-mail to supporters from the
Cannabis Therapy Institute, referring to Medical Marijuana Centers,
or dispensaries.

One of the draft rules calls for dispensaries to use surveillance
cameras to record every transaction and processing step, known as
seed-to-sale monitoring, says the Cannabis Therapy Institute, which
has reviewed the entire proposal several times since it was released
at the end of August at a Department of Revenue workgroup meeting on
medical marijuana regulation.

Dispensaries would also be required to link their point-of-sale
systems with their video surveillance systems, and patients would be
required to place their medical marijuana registry cards and driver's
license in a space on the counter so that the cameras could capture
it. Advocates fear this move will lead to patient tracking and
privacy violations.

Matt Cook, head of the Colorado Department of Revenue's Medical
Marijuana Enforcement Division, explains the Web-based tracking
system as necessary for enforcement. The system will be able to tell
if a patient has visited multiple dispensaries, seeking to have
multiple primary caregivers. Under Colorado law, a patient is
technically only allowed to have one primary caregiver. Dispensaries
will then be encouraged to turn the patient away.

"They have begun writing the hundreds of pages of regulations, which
are forcing these formerly legal business owners out of business,"
says the Cannabis Therapy Institute.

The advocacy group for medical marijuana patients also believes the
Web-based tracking system will scare people away from registering.

"If patients have to swipe a card and get into a government database
every time they buy medicine, no patient will want to be part of the
program," states the Cannabis Therapy Institute.

Cook, however, sees the issue as being about enforcement and fairness.

"This is all about a level playing field and putting some protections
in place," he said.