Colorado Doctors Advise On Pot Laws

the Denver Post

Two doctors account for more than a third of the patients on Colorado's medical-marijuana registry, and five doctors account for more than 50 percent of the patients, according to statistics from the state health department.

In all, of the 10,000 medical-marijuana patients on the state's registry, 75 percent of those received their recommendations from one of only 15 doctors.

The clustering of so many patients on the registry from so few doctors has raised the suspicions of state officials.

"It's a cause for concern," said Jim Martin, executive director of the state Department of Public Health and Environment. "At least in any other area like this, we would want to be sure that the physicians are meeting the standards of care."

State Attorney General John Suthers went a step further, suggesting the state Board of Medical Examiners investigate the top pot-recommending docs.

"The Health Department can question whether it's proper medicine to issue hundreds of certifications in one day and perhaps make some referrals to the medical board," Suthers said, referencing a statement by the state's chief medical officer during a recent hearing that one doctor signed for 200 patients in a single day.

But cannabis advocates said the clustering is perfectly understandable, the result of doctors who specialize in a particular area. Medical-marijuana attorney Rob Corry said the doctors are "compassionate professionals" whose specialty naturally attracts patients seeking alternative forms of medicine.

"I'm very concerned about the climate of fear that the Colorado attorney general has created in the minds of physicians who are just trying to help people," Corry said.