Aspen attorney and NORML Legal Committee member Lauren Maytin, who has a 16 month old (a really cute kid -- I tried to talk her into letting me take him home when we were in Aspen in June) testified at the hearing. She argued:
If adopted, these changes would endanger Colorado’s children. We should be discouraging neighborhood drug operations and encouraging safe, responsible dispensary choices outside of the home,” she testified before the board, arguing that legal dispensaries would minimize youth exposure to illicit drugs.
The event lasted 12 hours.
Throughout the day, earsplitting cheers and loud jeers showered the hall as the public made it clear which decisions and speakers they did and did not favor.
The state health department complained about the growth in medical pot users.
Colorado’s registry has grown by almost 1,000 patients per month this year, he said, including 2,000 new patients just last month. Hyman said he predicted that the state would have 15,000 registered patients by the time 2010 rolls around. “We’re doing the same amount of work in a day that we used to do in over a month,” he said.
The Iraq war veteran weighed in:
“When I came back from the war, I had real bad PTSD and torn ligaments,” said Jonathan Edens, an Iraq war vet and registered medical-marijuana patient from Colorado Springs. “I was so addicted to pills, I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror without being disgusted. Now that I’ve started smoking marijuana, I’ve dropped 50 pounds and am off most of the medication I was on.”
I had a client several years ago, who while not a war vet, had severe a severe back injury that left him addicted to pain pills. Same story: He got so overweight, it was an effort to leave the house and he couldn't work. He was in bed for months, severely depressed and still in pain, despite the pain pills. He started smoking pot, and dropped 100 pounds, went back to work and also works part-time as a trainer at a gym.
My favorite quip from the hearing:
When a board member asked [a] dispensary owner how many patients he thinks would be reasonable for his operation, he set the bar high. “I’d like to be under the same standards as Walgreens or a Wal-Mart pharmacy,” the man said.
After 12 hours of debate,
.... the board voted to make minor amendments to the state’s medical marijuana system, but it rejected the five-patient rule. The audience members erupted into applause and high-fives when the decision was made.
One added note: I've read several articles on the hearing, but the one I've linked to by Troy Hooper at the Aspen Daily News is the only one that really gave me the sense I was there...and missed something special. Nice job, Troy.
