MEDICAL-MARIJUANA ADVOCATES RAISE PRIVACY CONCERNS

A lineup of medical-marijuana activists and business owners said
today the state's
proposed new rules for the cannabis industry threaten patient privacy.

Requirements that transactions at dispensaries be videotaped,
purchases be documented and personal information be recorded could
cause many of the state's more than 115,000 medical-marijuana patients
to opt out of the system and return to buying pot on the street,
advocates said. State officials say details of the purchases would be
kept in a secure online database, but medical-marijuana advocates
pointed to recent WikiLeaks disclosures as evidence that even guarded
information can become public.

The advocates expressed their concerns this morning at the beginning
of a two-day hearing on the rules, proposed by the state Revenue
Department to regulate the thousands of medical-marijuana businesses
that have sprung up in the last two years. About 30 advocates spoke
during a public comment section of the hearing this morning.

"I am very concerned that many individuals ... will, due to the risk
of having their information leaked, return to the black market," said
Bruce Grainger, a dispensary owner who served on an advisory committee
that helped craft some of the rules.

Grainger was not the only rule-writer who said he was concerned about
aspects of the final draft. Jessica LeRoux - who owns Twirling Hippy
Confections, which makes marijuana-infused pastries, and who was part
of the advisory committee - said she was concerned about the system of
remotely monitored security cameras dispensaries and other
medical-marijuana facilities would be required to install. The systems
would require technology that might not be available in rural areas of
the state, she said.

Greg Goldfogel, another marijuana-infused products maker and advisory
committee member, said he worried the so-called "70-30 rule," which
requires dispensaries to grow 70 percent of the marijuana sold in
their stores, had not been defined well enough.

"I believe that this work has been historic, effective and leaves a
lot more work to be done," he said.

Like Goldfogel, a number of advocates took a measured approach to
critiquing the proposed rules. Rob Corry, an attorney best known for
fiery defenses of medical marijuana, said a number of the rules are
positive.

"If some of these regulations go into place, hopefully what we'll see
is the federal government bully will stay away from Colorado and leave
us alone," he said.

Still, Corry said he was concerned about the privacy issues. One rule
would require dispensaries to videotape all medical-marijuana
purchases, including pictures of the medical-marijuana license of the
patient making the purchse. Corry said police officers could gain
access to that and use the information to harrass patients.

Others used stronger language in criticizing the proposed
rules.

"These rules represent the fear and ignorance that led to the
prohibition of this plant," said Evan Anderson, owner of 14er
Holistics, a Boulder dispensary.

He said the rules would make it harder to buy medical-marijuana at a
dispensary in Colorado than to buy pseudoephedrine at a pharmacy, even
though the latter can be used to make methamphetamine.

"We want to be regulated," said Delita Boyd, owner of MaryJanes
Medicinal dispensary in Dacono. "We want to follow the rules. But we
want to be treated fairly. ... Just because of the business we're in,
we shouldn't be treated any differently than any other small
mom-and-pop shops."

The hearing is scheduled to continue through tomorrow. It is being
held at the Jefferson County Justice Center in Golden.