Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Friday, August 10, 2007

New Mexico Medical Marijuana Moves Forward

One month after New Mexico’s medical cannabis law went into effect, the program is moving forward with the Department of Health registering patients and appointing advisors.

The state health department issued the first temporary patient identification cards July 1, and now 46 applications have been received with 17 patients registered. Applications for identification cards for both patients and their primary caregivers are available at the Department of Health’s website.

Reena Szczepanski, director of DPA New Mexico, said, “After years of fighting to pass legislation, it is wonderful that registered medical marijuana patients are finally receiving protection in our state.”

The Department of Health recently finalized appointment of the Medical Advisory Committee, a board of eight certified physicians that will advise the Department on developing and implementing the rules for the new program.

The Committee will also meet at least twice a year to conduct public meetings and review petitions to allow other debilitating medical conditions that could benefit from the medical use of cannabis. The current rules of the program restrict eligibility to people with cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, and a particular type of spinal cord damage.

The Medical Advisory Committee is scheduled to hold its first public hearing next month. More information on the Committee is available from the Department of Health.

The next major step will be the establishment of rules and regulations for the Medical Cannabis Program by October 1, which will create a framework for the state-licensed production and distribution of medical marijuana for registered patients.


Drug Policy Alliance

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