Lawmakers crafting medical-pot bill struggle for middle ground - The Denver Post

Lawmakers crafting medical-pot bill struggle for middle ground - The Denver Post

The state lawmakers drafting a major medical-marijuana regulation bill plan to meet with representatives from the state attorney general's office today to work on a compromise to include more law-and-order language in the bill.

At the same time, medical-marijuana advocates are blasting the current version of the bill, arguing it is already too restrictive. On Thursday, attorney Rob Corry sent a letter to state Sen. Chris Romer, the Denver Democrat who is crafting the legislation, saying the bill "cannot be supported by any serious patient or caregiver in Colorado's medical-marijuana community."

Earlier this week, Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado, said medical-marijuana advocates would work to put a ballot issue before voters if the legislature passes a bill it feels clamps down too hard on the booming medical-marijuana industry.

"We're somewhat concerned that this bill is going to be reflective of the law-enforcement agenda as opposed to looking out for what's really best for patients," Vicente said Thursday.

State Rep. Tom Massey — a Republican from Poncha Springs who is working with Romer on the bill — said the pair continues to negotiate with both sides of the medical- marijuana debate, but recognizes there are "legitimate law-enforcement concerns" their current bill does not address.

Those concerns include better defining the role of a medical-marijuana caregiver and tightening the rules for doctors who recommend medical marijuana.

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