Colo. Medical Marijuana Applications Soar
July 30, 2009
Fox KDVR — TV News
DENVER, Colo. - The number of Coloradans diagnosed with chronic or severe pain has skyrocketed since medical marijuana vendors were allowed to care for more patients, state health officials said Thursday.
As of June 30, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment had received 8,918 applications from people who received authorization from a licensed physician to use medical marijuana.
Nearly 2,000 were received last month.
The state's top health official says the numbers are suspicious.
"We are concerned about the number of young men diagnosed with chronic severe debilitating pain, particularly the increasing numbers we are seeing in 2009," said the Chief Medical Officer Ned Calonge.
"We are evaluating strategies that might allow us to assure that physicians documenting a diagnosis of chronic or severe pain are doing so within the standards of medical care."
In July 2007, a Denver District Court judge suspended a state policy limiting the number of medical marijuana patients a caregiver could serve.
Since then, officials say, the number of registered medical marijuana users in Colorado has risen dramatically from 3,302 in July 2008 to 8,918 as of June 30, 2009, with 4,282 coming in just the past three months.
The state said the average age of patients is 41. | 
