Many people have pondered the prospect of getting legal medicinal herbs to replace man-made pharmaceuticals for the alleviation of pain associated with cancer, glaucoma, muscle spasms and other maladies. Medicinal marijuana has been legal for nearly ten years in Colorado, but only now that dispensaries are beginning to proliferate across the state is curiosity waxing.

It may allay fears, brought to life in movies like Reefer Madness, to know that the process of getting a license is not as easy as some may think. You must prove medical need. This means bringing your entire medical history to a doctor who is willing to recommend you for a medical license. People who might otherwise abuse dispensaries as simply a weed hookup are typically not willing to go through this much documentation since, in Pueblo, obtaining marijuana is easier than finding chicken tikka masala.

A quick visit to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website yields the necessary forms and an extensive FAQ section. Surprisingly, the paperwork is short and simple. Three pages and a $90.00 annual fee mailed to the state registry are all that are required to become a legal, registered medical marijuana patient. A prominent local professional, speaking anonymously, explained his recent dealings with doctors and paperwork.

I asked why he considered medical marijuana in the first place. "Well, I was really sick with gastro-intestinal problems," he explained. "I was in the hospital and in a lot of pain and they put me on morphine." Upon realizing how powerful the prescription painkillers were, he needed to find something that would relieve pain without leaving him in a near-vegetative state. "I had tried marijuana before and I thought it would help, and it did." Since then he has also used it for migraines, and reports, "I've noticed it helps with stress too."

Aside from the idea of being able to obtain medicinal marijuana, the card also provided security. "Now that I have kids, it became a larger issue for me, personally, to be legal. That protects me from being seen as an unfit parent. It takes the black market out of purchasing too, so now I don't have the threat of getting robbed or worse. I needed it more for the fact that I would be following the law than for the idea that I could get it from a dispensary because, let's face it, you can literally get it anywhere."

The hardest part for many people is finding a doctor to sign off on the paper work. "I had a family member well into his 50s who asked his doctor about it, literally pleading with him to sign his form but [the doctor] wouldn't, so he eventually went to the same doctor I did." He adds, "The doctor visit was really straightforward. I brought my medical records and went through an examination and a period of questioning to be sure that I wasn't some crazy person."

The relief is a legitimate reason to get the card. "Previously, I had prescriptions for all these different painkillers that, in my opinion, were much more dangerous and more addictive [than medical marijuana]." That prescription drugs must often be taken daily is also seen as a drawback to medical marijuana users. "I don't use marijuana every day, whereas with the painkillers I would have to take them every day. So since it became more common to get a card, I decided to do it. As soon as you have the paperwork signed, then you're legal. Five months later, I got the card in the mail."

Noting that Pueblo currently has a ban on dispensaries, our patient noted that he visits dispensaries in "[Colorado] Springs, Cañon City, and Denver." He is quick to point out that, "Even if one opened in Pueblo, I wouldn't use it, just because Pueblo is so small and I wouldn't want my business to be adversely affected in some way related to the dispensation of medical marijuana." However, he adds, "Pueblo should get rid of the moratorium...They're losing so much money."

Under the current city council moratorium, licensed Puebloans have to get medicine at dispensaries elsewhere in the state. It is, however, legal for licensed patients to grow their own medical marijuana or to designate a local caregiver and get medicine locally.

In 2000, Colorado voters created a state amendment, not just a local referendum. That gives medical marijuana constitutional validity at the same level as the right to bear arms.

Additional information is available from your local physician or the following websites: www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/Medicalmarijuana, www.norml.org.