CO NORML: Denying a Probationer’s Use of Medical Marijuana Causes Unnecessary Harm

From the Colorado Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

Almost 15 years ago Colorado voters approved the use of medical marijuana under Colorado’s Constitutional Amendment 20. This vote acknowledged the emerging science validating marijuana’s medicinal properties. As of today, 23 states and the District of Columbia have approved the use of medical marijuana. Unfortunately, Colorado Courts resisted this evolution, officially denying a probationer’s use of medical marijuana while on probation in 2012 with the Colorado Court of Appeals ruling inPeople v. Watkins.

Colorado NORML believes forcing a patient to discontinue their physician-recommended treatment with medical marijuana while on probation causes unnecessary harm. Currently, probationers in Colorado are permitted to use a variety of (prescribed) drugs on probation, including dangerous opiates, “benzos”, and other psychoactive drugs. Sadly though, probationers who had previously discontinued or reduced their use of these dangerous drugs are denied…