POT PROGRAM NIXES CAREGIVERS' CARDS

The state's medical marijuana program is revoking the caregiver
certificates it issued after realizing that the law never allowed for
them.

"Anyone who has a primary caregiver card, we will have to take those
back," said Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the state of
Colorado.

The revocation will not affect a caregiver's right to grow up to six
marijuana plants for a certified patient, Calonge stressed.

Amendment 20, passed in 2000, established in state law the use of
marijuana to alleviate certain debilitating medical conditions, but
limits the amount a licensed person can possess to no more than 2
ounces of usable marijuana and not more than six marijuana plants,
with three or fewer being mature.

There are 376 Coloradans who have received patient certificates to use
marijuana. Of that number, 214 have designated a caregiver to grow the
plants.

Most caregivers have only one patient. Six caregivers list two
patients each and one caregiver lists four.

Last week, three certified caregivers and one certified patient were
arrested after nearly 800 pot plants were discovered in their homes,
North Metro Drug Task force officials said. That case remains under
investigation.

Friday's decision to revoke the caregiver certificates was made after
questions raised by the Rocky Mountain News, Calonge said.

"I have pursued whether or not we can issue that certificate to the
primary caregiver," he said. "Our current rules say we cannot."

Administrators of the medical marijuana registry will meet Monday to
discuss how to contact the certified caregivers to have them return
their certificates.

They also will discuss how to replace the certificates or if it is
viable to have the state board of health change its rules to allow
them to create a caregiver certificate program.

If a rule change is necessary, the board also may look at limiting the
number of patients one caregiver can serve, Calonge said.

The certificates were issued, he said, in an attempt to enable law
enforcement to more easily identify who is legally allowed to grow
marijuana.

But under the state amendment, only patients are allowed
certificates.

"We do not license people to grow marijuana," Calonge said. "There
really is supposed to be only one certificate."

Calonge emphasized that although the caregiver certificates are not
valid, it doesn't change the law.