Under Colorado state law the following conditions qualify for medical marijuana licensing:
Chronic severe pain, glaucoma, cancer, AIDS/HIV, muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, GERD, Crohn’s disease, chronic nausea, cachexia, asthma, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), arthritis, epilepsy, and seizures, and many more.
Medical marijuana can also benefit patients with neurological deficits and/or neurological dysfunction such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, central nervous system injury, peripheral nerve injury, dystonia, neuroinvasive cancer, spina bifida rheumatoid arthritis, or brachial plexus injuries
BECOMING A PATIENT
Most physicians require that each patient have current medical records that document the existence of one of the conditions for which medical marijuana is authorized under Colorado state law. You can obtain your medical records yourself, which may involve a fee and bring them in to us.
Some physicians we work closely with are consulting with patients solely about their qualification for medicinal cannabis and can not act as a patient's primary care physician and we require that all of our patients have at least one other current physician.
Note: Please be sure to clarify with the doctor's
office that you only need 2-3 visits of chart notes pertaining to your
qualifying condition and NOT your entire medical record. Trees are terrific and we don't want to use more than necessary.
Three Key Steps to Setting an Appointment:
Step 1: If you are a NEW PATIENT, in order to schedule an appointment you must first have: A) CHART NOTES/OFFICE VISIT NOTES: These are the notes your doctor keeps in your medical file. The records need to be current, within the past three years and must pertain to your qualifying condition. We only need chart notes from 2-3 recent visits on your condition. These can be up to three years old. For example, if you saw the doctor in September of 2006, those records could be used until September of 2009. Please do not send older documents unless requested.
B) CHART NOTES must be from an MD (medical doctor) or a DO (doctor of osteopathy).
C) Any recent MRI or x-ray reports, which are not required, but desirable if applicable. Please do not send the film, just the written report.
Step 2: The doctor may require you send your medical records in before your appointment. You may have your medical office send them or hand them in yourself. Either way, you need to provide a current, reliable phone number where you can be contacted.
Step 3: Friendly Fire staff can assist you in scheduling an appointment or you may shop around on your own. If you are having Friendly Fire staff help you, please allow several days for us to contact you with possible appointment times. If you don't hear from us within a week, please contact us by phone at 970-631-8776.
Colorado Department of Health - Frequently asked questions about Medical MarijuanaWhere do I get the seeds or plants to start growing medical marijuana? Are there clubs or organizations that help patients to grow or acquire their medicine? The Medical Marijuana Registry is not affiliated with any privately operated club, organization or dispensary and is not authorized to provide information on acquisition of marijuana.
Where can I legally use my medicine? No patient shall: Engage in the medical use of marijuana in a way that endangers the health or well-being of any person; or engage in the medical use of marijuana in plain view of, or in a place open to, the general public. Law enforcement has informed the Medical Marijuana Registry of the following: Any place outside of the patient’s home is considered public. “In plain view” also includes the patient’s yard or garage if that patient can be seen using their medicine by neighbors.
Why can’t I go to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for medical marijuana? Pharmacies can only dispense medications that are prescribed. Marijuana is currently classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug, which means it cannot be prescribed by any health care professional. Amendment 20 allows doctors to recommend marijuana and it allows patients to grow their own medical marijuana for their private use.
How is my confidentiality protected? Your confidentiality is protected by law and by the procedures used by the registry. No lists of doctors, patients of caregivers are given out to anyone. Local law enforcement may only contact the registry to verify the information on a specific identification card. The registry database resides on a stand-alone computer and is password protected and encrypted. The office and all of its contents are locked at night when the registry administrator is out of the office.
How does my card protect me? A patient may engage in the medical use of marijuana with no more marijuana than is medically necessary to address a debilitating medical condition. A patient's medical use of marijuana within the following limits is lawful: No more than two (2) ounces of a usable form of marijuana and no more than six (6) marijuana plants with three or fewer being mature, flowering plants that are producing a usable form of marijuana.
I do not have the money for the fee. Is it a one-time payment? Can it be waived? Can I make installment payments? Will my insurance pay? Full payment must be made at the time of application. The fee must be paid with the renewal application each year. The fee cannot be waived and the registry cannot accept installment payments. Insurance companies are not required to pay the fee.
What if I move or my caregiver moves? What if I want to change my caregiver? When there has been a change in the name, address, physician, or primary caregiver of a patient who has qualified for a registry identification card, that patient must notify the registry of any such change within ten (10) days. A patient who has not designated a primary caregiver at the time of application may do so in writing at ANY time during the effective period of the registry identification card and the primary caregiver may act in this capacity after such designation.
Can I use my Colorado Medical Marijuana Registry identification card in another state? At this time, there are no “reciprocity” agreements with other states to recognize the Colorado law except in Montana and Rhode Island.
I am a registered patient in another state, do I have any legal right to use my medicine while visiting Colorado? No. Colorado’s law does not recognize patients registered in other states.
Does the Medical Marijuana Registry give free legal advice? No. Patients are on their own to seek out legal advice or hire an attorney.
