{Denver} -- The Colorado state Senate Local Government Committee took hours of testimony yesterday on HB1284. One of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Chris Romer (D-Denver), was quoted in several articles yesterday saying that the bill is designed to shut down 80% of caregiving businesses in Colorado. The Committee hearing started at 2pm and finally adjourned at 11:30pm. The Committee voted in favor of HB1284 and some of its last
minute amendments by a vote of 6 to 0, with Senator Cadman absent.
Laura Kriho of the Cannabis Therapy Institute says, "This is a sad day for patients. Not only have they been sold out by their lawmakers, but they have been sold out by well-funded dispensaries, and they have been sold out by so-called patient rights groups. This bill will destroy patients' access to their medicine, drive prices up, and force patients back into
the black market. The will of the voters has been ignored once again by lawmakers, and sick and dying Colorado citizens will suffer."
"This is taking patient rights back over 100 years," says Timothy Tipton, a patient advocate with the Rocky Mountain Caregivers Cooperative "Things are going in the wrong direction. Patients in the 1800s had better access to cannabis medicine than they will under this new law."
In a departure from hearings in other committees, the Local Government Committee Chair, Sen. Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass), allowed disabled patients to testify first. This was followed by several hours of testimony from law enforcement, including the District Attorney for Adams and Broomfield Counties, the District Attorney for El Paso and Teller Counties, the District Attorney for Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, the County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Chiefs of Police Association, the North Metro Drug Task force, and more. Most of the law enforcement testified against the bill, saying that they didn't believe the "dispensary model" was allowed under Colorado's medical marijuana constitutional amendment.
Several representatives of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a lobbying group hired by a handful of well-funded dispensaries who have been "working with" Senator Romer on gaining concessions friendly to big business. CMMR testified in favor of HB1284, but was against a dozen or so last-minute amendments to the bill that Senator Romer surprised them with
that morning. Also testifying on the CMMR team was Brian Vicente from Sensible Colorado, an organization which claims to be in support of patient rights. Sensible asked for several amendments, but overall was satisfied with the bill that would eliminate 80% of patient's caregivers, force prices up, and force patients to use only one dispensary for their medicine.
Laura Kriho, the director of the Cannabis Therapy Institute, urged the Committee to kill HB1284 and urged lawmakers to form a statewide commission to study programs that have been working locally and recommend a bill that had a broad base of support. Mark Simon, an activist with the disabled community, testified that neither Sen. Romer nor anyone else had reached out to the disabled community to get their input on the bill.
Others who gave testimony against HB1284 were attorneys Robert J. Corry, Jr. and Lauren Davis; Laurel Alterman, owner of Altermeds dispensary in Louisville; Miguel Lopez of Mile High NORML; Robert Chase of Colorado Coalition of Patients and Caregivers; and the Colorado Springs Medical Marijuana Council. The mountain contingent was well-represented with Kathleen Chippi, owner of One Brown Mouse dispensary in Nederland; Jessica
LaRoux of Twirling Hippy Confections and Mark Rose of Grateful Meds dispensary in Nederland all testifying eloquently against the bill.
The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee and then will be voted on by the full Senate. CTI is urging patient rights supporters to contact their state senators and urge them to vote No on HB1284. http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/advocacy/contact.colorado.state.legislature.html
minute amendments by a vote of 6 to 0, with Senator Cadman absent.
Laura Kriho of the Cannabis Therapy Institute says, "This is a sad day for patients. Not only have they been sold out by their lawmakers, but they have been sold out by well-funded dispensaries, and they have been sold out by so-called patient rights groups. This bill will destroy patients' access to their medicine, drive prices up, and force patients back into
the black market. The will of the voters has been ignored once again by lawmakers, and sick and dying Colorado citizens will suffer."
"This is taking patient rights back over 100 years," says Timothy Tipton, a patient advocate with the Rocky Mountain Caregivers Cooperative "Things are going in the wrong direction. Patients in the 1800s had better access to cannabis medicine than they will under this new law."
In a departure from hearings in other committees, the Local Government Committee Chair, Sen. Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass), allowed disabled patients to testify first. This was followed by several hours of testimony from law enforcement, including the District Attorney for Adams and Broomfield Counties, the District Attorney for El Paso and Teller Counties, the District Attorney for Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, the County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Chiefs of Police Association, the North Metro Drug Task force, and more. Most of the law enforcement testified against the bill, saying that they didn't believe the "dispensary model" was allowed under Colorado's medical marijuana constitutional amendment.
Several representatives of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a lobbying group hired by a handful of well-funded dispensaries who have been "working with" Senator Romer on gaining concessions friendly to big business. CMMR testified in favor of HB1284, but was against a dozen or so last-minute amendments to the bill that Senator Romer surprised them with
that morning. Also testifying on the CMMR team was Brian Vicente from Sensible Colorado, an organization which claims to be in support of patient rights. Sensible asked for several amendments, but overall was satisfied with the bill that would eliminate 80% of patient's caregivers, force prices up, and force patients to use only one dispensary for their medicine.
Laura Kriho, the director of the Cannabis Therapy Institute, urged the Committee to kill HB1284 and urged lawmakers to form a statewide commission to study programs that have been working locally and recommend a bill that had a broad base of support. Mark Simon, an activist with the disabled community, testified that neither Sen. Romer nor anyone else had reached out to the disabled community to get their input on the bill.
Others who gave testimony against HB1284 were attorneys Robert J. Corry, Jr. and Lauren Davis; Laurel Alterman, owner of Altermeds dispensary in Louisville; Miguel Lopez of Mile High NORML; Robert Chase of Colorado Coalition of Patients and Caregivers; and the Colorado Springs Medical Marijuana Council. The mountain contingent was well-represented with Kathleen Chippi, owner of One Brown Mouse dispensary in Nederland; Jessica
LaRoux of Twirling Hippy Confections and Mark Rose of Grateful Meds dispensary in Nederland all testifying eloquently against the bill.
The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee and then will be voted on by the full Senate. CTI is urging patient rights supporters to contact their state senators and urge them to vote No on HB1284. http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/advocacy/contact.colorado.state.legislature.html
