Date: 04/28/2014

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB14-1364

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Postpone House Bill 14-1364 indefinitely. The moti
Refer House Bill 14-1364 to the Committee of the W		PASS
FAIL



05:10 PM -- HB14-1364

The committee returned to order.

Representative Singer, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 14-1364. The bill adds post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the list of debilitating medical conditions that may be treated with medical marijuana. He referred extensively to a packet of research documents that was provided to the committee. A copy was not made available for the record. The committee was also given a fact sheet about the bill (Attachment F).

14HseState0428AttachF.pdf14HseState0428AttachF.pdf

05:25 PM

Representative Singer responded to questions about the constitutionality of the bill. The discussion turned to the existence of evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating debilitating illnesses or conditions. Representative Labuda referred to a statement of opposition to the bill from the Colorado Psychiatric Society (Attachment G)

14HseState0428AttachG.pdf14HseState0428AttachG.pdf

05:35 PM

Members of the committee expressed concern about the constitutionality of the bill.

05:38 PM -- Dr. Larry Wolk, representing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), testified in opposition to the bill. Dr. Wolk discussed the process for adding a condition to the list of debilitating conditions under Amendment 20 to the Colorado Constitution. He spoke about research into the efficacy of medical marijuana as a treatment for various conditions. He stated that CDPHE and the Colorado Board of Health have previously rejected adding PTSD to the list of debilitating conditions. He continued to talk about the type of information he looks for when he evaluates conditions for inclusion in the list. Dr. Wolk responded to questions from the committee.


05:47 PM

The committee continued to discuss the bill with Dr. Wolk.


05:54 PM

Committee questioning of Dr. Wolk continued.

05:59 PM -- Sean Azzariti, representing himself, testified in favor of the bill. Mr. Azzariti spoke about his experience as a veteran with PTSD. In response to questions from the committee, he stated that he only takes medical marijuana and no longer needs other pharmaceuticals.

06:02 PM -- Dr. Charles Shuman, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill. Dr. Shuman spoke about the process in place for adding conditions to the list of debilitating conditions. He discussed evidence that suggests that medical marijuana could make PTSD worse. He spoke about research in this area. He cautioned against using what he called "dangerous and addictive drugs" to treat veterans with PTSD. He responded to questions about evidence-based treatment protocols for PTSD.

06:10 PM -- Dr. Doris Gundersen, representing the Colorado Psychiatric Society, testified in opposition to the bill. Dr. Gundersen referred to Attachment G. She spoke about her professional background and experience treating adults with PTSD. She provided general information about PTSD, depression, suicide, and substance abuse. She stated that there are good evidence-based treatment options available that include a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. She discussed a number of courses of treatment. She responded to questions from the committee.

06:24 PM -- Raynard Hugee, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Hugee spoke about his experience as a veteran with PTSD who uses medical marijuana to treat his condition.

06:26 PM -- Robert Wiley, representing the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Wiley spoke about research from New Mexico and Israel that shows PTSD sufferers may be helped by medical marijuana. He addressed the issue of impairment. He discussed the process of keeping a medical marijuana card current. He responded to questions from the committee.

06:34 PM -- Jason Worf, representing the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Warf spoke about research from Israel that indicates that veterans who suffer from PTSD may benefit from medical marijuana. He stated that CDPHE and the Board of Health have not added anything to the list of qualifying conditions in 14 years since Amendment 20 was implemented.

06:38 PM -- Larisa Bolivar, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Bolivar spoke about her experience with PTSD, and discussed the serious side effects of common psychiatric drugs. She stated that she has benefited from a combination of medical marijuana and cognitive behavioral therapy. She responded to questions from the committee.

06:43 PM -- Perry Jones, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Jones spoke about his experience as a veteran with PTSD who treats his condition with medical marijuana. He discussed his post-military career and the difficulties he has experienced in obtaining medical marijuana. He responded to questions from the committee.

06:49 PM -- Robert Chase, representing the Colorado Coalition of Patients and Caregivers, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Chase spoke about research in the area of medical marijuana. He addressed the testimony of prior witnesses.

06:55 PM -- George Pagani, Robert Alvarez, and Benjamin Dupre, representing themselves, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Alvarez spoke about his experience as a crisis counselor, and discussed the dangers of overdosing on prescription medication. He indicated that suicide is a serious problem among combat veterans and marijuana is the last hope of some of those veterans. Mr. Dupre spoke about his combat experience and his PTSD diagnosis. He uses medical marijuana instead of psychotropic medications to treat his condition. Mr. Pagani spoke about his work as a medical compliance professional investigator for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He indicated that his investigations have shown that psychotropic medications are seriously overprescribed to veterans. He stated his opinion that the use of medical marijuana is beneficial to PTSD sufferers.

07:04 PM -- Greg Duran, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Duran distributed a letter from a soldier named Brian (Attachment H). He read the letter aloud.

14HseState0428AttachH.pdf14HseState0428AttachH.pdf

07:10 PM -- Freddrick Moore, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Moore spoke about his experience with PTSD and medical marijuana. He responded to questions from the committee.

07:15 PM -- Rosemary Wallace, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Wallace spoke about her experience with PTSD and medical marijuana. She stated her opinion that there have been enough studies.

07:18 PM -- Brian Vicente, representing Sensible Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Vicente discussed the petitions he wrote to CDPHE in 2010 and 2012 to add PTSD to the list of debilitating conditions. Both petitions were rejected without a hearing. He expressed his opinion that individuals with PTSD are helped by medical marijuana. Mr. Vicente responded to questions from the committee.

07:24 PM -- Phillip Barton, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Barton expressed a desire to be able to have an honest conversation with a doctor about his need for medical marijuana. He spoke about the problems associated with self-medication of psychological conditions. He responded to questions from the committee.

07:29 PM -- Teri Robnett, representing the Cannabis Patients' Alliance and Colorado NORML, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Robnett spoke about PTSD and sexual assault or other violent crime. She discussed her experience as a rape crisis counselor. She talked about the process for getting conditions added to the list of debilitating conditions, and about difficulties inherent in research studies related to medical marijuana. She expressed her opinion that the bill will give PTSD sufferers dignity.

07:34 PM -- Mike Elliott, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Elliott spoke about a friend of his who was a combat veteran with PTSD and who committed suicide recently. He stated that waiting for more research is not a solution, nor is it necessary since medical marijuana works for many people.

07:38 PM -- Tony McNatt, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. McNatt spoke about his experience as a combat veteran with depression, anxiety, back pain, and assorted other conditions. He provided information about the various medications he was prescribed before he decided to take only medical marijuana. He talked about the side effects he experienced with those pharmaceuticals.


07:43 PM

Representative Singer explained the purpose of amendment L.001 (Attachment I). He responded to questions from the committee about the amendment. Representative Nordberg explained why he believes the amendment is necessary.


07:46 PM

The committee recessed briefly.


07:53 PM

The committee returned to order.

07:55 PM -- Kristen Forrestal, representing the Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions from the committee about whether the bill is constitutional. Discussion ensued.


08:01 PM

Representative Singer weighed in on the issue of constitutionality. He wrapped up his presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.
BILL:HB14-1364
TIME: 08:15:09 PM
MOVED:Salazar
MOTION:Refer House Bill 14-1364 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:Moreno
VOTE
Conti
No
Dore
No
Foote
Yes
Humphrey
No
Labuda
No
Melton
Yes
Moreno
Yes
Nordberg
No
Williams
No
Salazar
Yes
Ryden
Yes
YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:HB14-1364
TIME: 08:16:31 PM
MOVED:Salazar
MOTION:Postpone House Bill 14-1364 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 9-2.
SECONDED:Humphrey
VOTE
Conti
Yes
Dore
Yes
Foote
Yes
Humphrey
Yes
Labuda
Yes
Melton
Yes
Moreno
No
Nordberg
Yes
Williams
Yes
Salazar
No
Ryden
Yes
Final YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS