Date: 08/28/2014
Final
CDPHE Presentation
MARIJUANA SALES TAX REVENUES
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09:32 AM -- Call to Order
Representative Pabon, Chair, called the meeting to order. He made some opening comments and directed members of the public towards the committee webpage should anyone wish to access materials related to the committee.
09:36 AM -- Update from CDPHE on Medical Marijuana Issues and Public Awareness Campaign
Karin McGowan, Deputy Executive Director, Ali Maffey, Policy and Communication Unit Supervisor, Dana Erpelding, Director of the Center for Health and Environmental Data, and Natalie Riggins, Program Manager for the Medical Marijuana Registry, from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) came to the table to present on issues surrounding medical marijuana and the department's marijuana prevention public awareness campaign. CDPHE's presentation was distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Ms. Erpelding provided the committee with a history of the medical marijuana program in the state. She responded to questions on the enforcement of caregiver registration and penalties for not registering, how caregiver registration aligns with Department of Revenue (DOR) registration, and the eligibility requirements for a medical marijuana card. The representatives of the CDPHE responded to questions on the levels of pain required for a medical marijuana card issued for "severe pain," whether CDPHE is keeping track of doctors prescribing medical marijuana cards and how many cards each doctor issues, the breakdown of the types of pain that patients receive cards for, the departments upcoming requests for rule making, and how many patients moved from pharmaceutical medications to medical marijuana after it was legalized.
Attachment A.pdf
09:54 AM
The CDPHE representatives responded to further questions on the geographical movement of patients within the state to access particular physicians, the length of time that a patient can use a red card for before renewing it and how this relates to different medical conditions, whether there is a risk of caregivers growing marijuana for profit under the medical marijuana system, the regulation of medical marijuana within the state, the age limits for receiving a medical marijuana card, and caregiver recovery of costs for growing marijuana on behalf of medical marijuana patients.
10:03 AM
The committee discussed its charge, the interrelation of medical marijuana with retail marijuana, and the tax collections for medical and retail marijuana. The representatives of CDPHE responded to further questions on the regulation of caregivers and the criteria that CDPHE has for referring physicians to the Board of Medical Examiners.
10:10 AM
Ms. Erpelding spoke to the number of active medical marijuana patients in the state, the demographics of these patients, and how patients obtain medical marijuana. She responded to questions on marijuana users growing their own product following Amendment 64, if CDPHE has a system in place to prevent patients from going to multiple caregivers, and if there is data available on the number of patients replacing opioids with marijuana. Discussion on these topics ensued.
10:19 AM
Ms. Erpelding discussed the number of patients who have been authorized to have an increased plant count by their physicians, and responded to questions on whether the statutes prevent the state from implementing an upper limit on plant count, how higher plant count subscriptions are monitored and regulated, and what the average and extreme numbers are for extended plant counts.
10:26 AM
Ms. Erpelding discussed the geographical spread of caregivers in the state and the rule change requests that CDPHE is planning to bring before the Colorado Board of Health for rule making.
10:30 AM
Ms. Maffey presented on CDPHE's Public Awareness Campaign for retail marijuana, and stated that the charge of the department for this is to promote safe, legal, and responsible use of retail marijuana in the state. She described the program's five main components, (pages 9-12 of Attachment A) which include an 18-month campaign on the health effects of marijuana and its legal use, an ongoing education and prevention campaign focusing on specific groups, maintenance of a website portal, alignment of messages across state agencies, and an evaluation of the campaigns as they progress.
She responded to questions on whether there is an advisory board overseeing the efforts of the department in its public awareness campaign, the education efforts being made to prevent retailers from selling to underage citizens and how much funding has been devoted to this effort, and if CDPHE was collaborating with the Office of Behavioral Health in its campaign.
10:41 AM
Ms. Maffey discussed the process for implementing the prevention and education campaign and distributed a handout on this (Attachment B). She also spoke to the Request For Proposal that the CDPHE had issued for the execution of elements of the campaign and responded to questions on the opportunities for using the education campaign on marijuana in the overall context of substance abuse. Representative Pabon discussed the ways in which the committee could help optimize the funds appropriated by Senate Bill 14-215. Ms. Maffey responded to questions on the department's standardized definitions of drug use
Attachment B.pdf
10:50 AM
Ms. Maffey discussed the evaluation of the campaign that CDPHE would be performing. She also provided a financial breakdown of the campaign and responded to questions on whether its costs are congruent with other public awareness campaigns and the overall budget for the 18-month and ongoing campaigns and their evaluation. The representatives of CDPHE responded to questions on continuation funding to support the department's charge, if there is information available on how funding can be most effectively used to prevent youth use, the importance of CDPHE's public awareness campaign, and whether there will be ongoing prevention efforts in the future. The committee discussed the educational aspects of the campaign for parents in Colorado.