A Booming Business

Each day in Colorado, 400 applications from patients wanting to use marijuana as medicine, come to the State Department of Health and Environment. In 2006, just over 1000 people were on the State's patient registry. So far this year, more than 11,000 people are card-carrying medicinal marijuana users. Four dispensaries have opened in Aspen since late summer and several others are serving patients up and down the Roaring Fork Valley.

To treat a knee injury, one patient I talked to uses a concentrated form of the plant that is liquified and edible. Josh Griggs says it makes the constant pain he experiences go away. Griggs is also a dispensary owner and he has created several rules for his patients, or members. They are required to sign a 5-page agreement saying they will not re-sell the marijuana on the street and the patients are outlawed from using the drug in the dispensary.

Local town governments are also creating rules in an effort to regulate parts of the industry. In New Castle, the Town Board is preparing to adopt an ordinance that would require background checks for dispensary owners and the dispensaries themselves would be subject to Conditional Use requirements. So far, no dispensaries have opened in New Castle but in Glenwood Springs there are at least two downtown stores. City elected officials have not set up rules but the mayor believes the State needs to create more regulations.

This booming industry seems to be growing so fast, local governments and even dispensaries are trying to catch up and regulate it where they can. It will be interesting to see where this newly-sprouting industry goes and whether new regulations from the State are developed.

Cool State Website

There's a new State website that "tracks the dollars" of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and it's interesting to see where those stimulus dollars are going. I talked to the Executive Director of Mountain Family Health Centers, which is receiving about $554,000 in stimulus funds, and he told me he's never seen so much transparency from the government. And this website exemplifies that. The website at www.colorado.gov/recovery leads you to a map of the counties of Colorado. You can click on say, Garfield County and find a list of organizations that are receiving Federal funds. An interesting benefactor in Garfield County is Glenwood Beauty Academy Inc., which is getting a $45,000 chunk of change. I suppose the money will help train people to cut hair, paint nails or other beauty trades. Go ahead and log onto the site and check out where the money is going in your county, you might be surprised!

Mail Ballot Elections Gain Popularity

Pitkin County's Clerk and Recorder says more than 90% of Colorado's 64 counties will use a mail ballot election this November. That means polling places and early voting will not be part of the election. Voters will get ballots in the mail and must drop them off or mail them to the County by 7PM on November 3rd.

The mail ballot election is becoming more popular because it's more convenient for voters and cheaper. Pitkin County Clerk Janice Vos Caudill says taxpayers will save up to $20,000 dollars by using this method of voting. It also allows busy individuals to find their own time to go over the issues, mark their choices and mail the ballot.

But, the mail ballot elections are causing some concern. Jenny Flanigan of Colorado Common Cause says the ballots may not reach people who move around a lot, like many residents do in Pitkin County. She also say people should have a choice of how they want to vote and narrowing that decision to one method may not suit all voters in Colorado.

Regardless of various feelings concerning the mail ballot election, it will be conducted this Fall in Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle Counties. Vos Caudill says she wants to hear from voters following the election about whether they liked the method and whether it should be used again.

Flu Shots Available Now

Starting today Pitkin County will begin to administer seasonal flu shots to people willing to get them. On Friday H1N1 or Swine Flu shots will be offered to healthcare workers. Pitkin County has 1000 doses of seasonal flu vaccine and 100 doses of swine flu vaccine. Greater amounts of both vaccines are expected to come to the County later this Fall.

The two flu viruses are similar but there are some differences. Cases of the Swine Flu have developed outside of the traditional flu season and the virus is more often noticed in young people who have not built up strong immunities to illnesses. Liz Stark at Community Health Services says the number of deaths associated with the Swine Flu are similar to those connected to the seasonal flu. Despite similarities, some organizations are being extra vigilant about keeping germs away. The Aspen School District is focusing on cleaning hand railings and other items often touched by students. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority has also stepped up cleaning efforts in its buses. Stark says absenteeism is up at Aspen schools and pediatricians are seeing more patients, due to the flu.

The same rules as always apply: If you're sick stay home and if your symptoms are severe, seek medical assistance. And, health officials are stressing getting a seasonal flu shot early because the shots may run out. The first clinic is today at the Health and Human Services building near Aspen Valley Hospital, from 1 to 6PM.