DENVER—Two doctors are responsible for referring more than a third of the patients on Colorado’s medical-marijuana registry, according to statistics from the state health department.
Of the roughly 10,000 medical-marijuana patients on the state’s registry, 75 percent received their recommendations from one of 15 doctors, whose names weren’t released because of state confidentiality laws, The Denver Post reported in Sunday editions.
“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.”
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers suggested the state Board of Medical Examiners investigate the doctors recommending medical marijuana the most often.
“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.
An amendment approved by Colorado voters in 2000 allows patients with “debilitating” conditions, including HIV and chronic pain, to use marijuana if they get a doctor’s approval and register with the state.
Suthers said the legal language of Amendment 20 restricts how much he can address the concerns.
“There’s not much that can be done about it,” he said. “And frankly I think it’s all by design.”
Cannabis advocates said the clustering of referrals is understandable, given that many doctors specialize in a particular area.
“A lot of doctors don’t know anything about medical marijuana,” said Paul Stanford, the founder of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation in Wheat Ridge.
Stanford said his clinic has turned away numerous patients who are not qualified. The clinic prescreens patients in phone calls and ensures they have medical documentation of their ailments. The clinic’s doctor or other staff members also spend a couple of hours examining and counseling each patient.
Stanford said other clinics might not hold as high a standard.
