[420 Girl]

Co. - The legislature’s budget committee earlier this afternoon approved an extra $186,702 so the state’s health department can process all of the medical marijuana card applications that have poured into it’s offices.

The cash, slightly less than what the department asked for, will allow health officials to hire a dozen temporary employees to deal with a months-long backlog of applications.

The extra allocation comes in addition to $139,000 the department has already sought for processing an estimated 5,000 new applications a week.

The money is drawn from the $90 medical marijuana patients pay annually for their cards.


“Right now it’s not a cost to the state,” said Republican Sen. Al White, who sits on the powerful Joint Budget Committee. “But it is certainly a burgeoning area of the health department.”

Officials estimate the number of card carriers has risen to around 30,000 in less than a year. Some predict as many as 60,000 people could eventually receive cards allowing them to possess and smoke medical pot.


Meanwhile, a bill to require doctors to have a closer relationship with their pot-seeking patients was officially introduced today. Sen. Chris Romer, Senate Bill 109’s sponsor, said the legislation will likely get a hearing in the next two weeks.

He said he expects the bill will be changed to invalidate the medical marijuana card of anyone who runs afoul of probation requirements or lands in prison. Those card carriers would have to renew their application and go threw an additional review process, under Romer’s planned amendment.

The bill in its current form would require doctors recommending marijuana to to have clean licenses, keep detailed records and prohibit doctors from receiving compensation from dispensaries for making recommendations.

It would also require any pot-seeking patient younger than 21 to go before a medical review board unless they are a veteran.

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