Medical Marijuana Advocate Addresses MM Myths

Medical marijuana attorney and advocate Robert Corry, Jr. addresses myths about medical marijuana just as the Denver City Council prepares to take up the issue of dispensary regulation.

Tonight, Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown will put forward his proposals to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver. Among the provisions Brown plans will be licensing requirements similar to those for bars and nightclubs as well as banning dispensaries near schools. "I think it's out of control here," Brown told the Denver Post. "It's become the Wild West, baby!"

Countering Brown's calls for regulation of the medical marijuana industry, an industry that is one of the few bright spots in an economy still in the throes of recession, is an outstanding op-ed piece by MM attorney and advocate Robert Corry, Jr. in Monday's Denver Post. Corry is an outspoken and particularly effective voice for the thousands of Colorado residents who legally use medical marijuana.

The piece addresses many of the myths about medical marijuana and medical marijuana dispensaries:

Does medical marijuana help the Mexican drug cartels?

"We hear racially charged tales of "Mexican cartels" supposedly running the medical marijuana business, when the truth is Colorado homegrown marijuana puts foreign cartels out of business, and it is law enforcement that enriches cartels through hostility to medical marijuana."

Do medical marijuana dispensaries attract crime?

"The truth is these shops, which are generally open only in daylight hours, have security systems and are not open to the general public and only admit registered patients, and are safer than convenience stores, liquor stores, bars, gas stations or banks."

Do medical marijuana dispensaries located near schools pose any danger to students?

"We hear government hysteria about how these shops should not be near schools, without a single documented case of a child obtaining marijuana from a dispensary. On Ninth and Corona streets in Denver is a small liquor store and a pharmacy, both legally dispensing drugs far more potent that marijuana, and both directly across the street from a large public elementary school. And this is not a problem. Children are not wandering in to buy narcotics or liquor. It is another example of an imaginary concern designed to justify irrational restrictions."

Pain Management of Colorado strongly urges our blog's readers to read the full piece in Monday's Denver Post. It is one of the strongest, most compelling pieces yet written in favor of medical marijuana in Colorado.