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A beleaguered medical-marijuana doctor has agreed to permanently surrender his medical license, while a second physician has had his license suspended.
Manuel Aquino gave up his license last week, making him the first medical-marijuana doctor in the state to suffer regulatory consequences for a cannabis recommendation.
The Colorado Medical Board was seeking to take Aquino's license after he recommended medical marijuana to a woman who was six months pregnant.
Meanwhile, another medical-marijuana doctor, Paul Bregman, had his license suspended last week, records show.
Bregman is well known for making cannabis recommendations and is a member of the state Department of Revenue's medical- marijuana advisory group. Testifying at a public hearing late last year, Bregman estimated he had made more than 2,500 recommendations.
Medical Board documents provide little explanation for Bregman's suspension, saying cryptically that an investigative panel received information that Bregman has a condition that has harmed his ability to serve his patients.
Bregman, the panel wrote, "has engaged in a treatment for his physical or mental illness or condition that may cause cognitive deficiencies."
A spokesman for the state Department of Regulatory Agencies said he couldn't elaborate. Bregman did not return a phone message, and his attorney declined to comment.
In Aquino's case, the Medical Board accused the doctor of not meeting expected standards of care because he didn't perform a physical exam on the patient, review the patient's medical history or ask whether she was pregnant during the three-minute visit.
Aquino continues to maintain he did nothing wrong. In an official response last year to the allegations, he disputed whether using medical marijuana during pregnancy was harmful.
His attorneys said Wednesday that he had been made a scapegoat by anti-medical- marijuana regulators and that he didn't have the resources to continue fighting the allegations.
"The cost of it is quite prohibitive at this point," said attorney Sheila Meer, who represented Aquino in the administrative case. "He really isn't in the position to carry the fight for the younger doctors. This is a political issue."
Aquino, 70, still faces criminal charges in Arapahoe County after allegedly writing marijuana recommendations to two undercover police officers without giving them physical exams.
Both recommendations occurred before the legislature passed new laws last year specifying that doctors must have a "bona-fide" relationship with patients to whom they recommend marijuana. A trial date has not been set.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: denverpost.com
Author: John Ingold
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Copyright: 2011 The Denver Post
Website: Medical-pot doc surrenders license in Colorado - The Denver Post
Manuel Aquino gave up his license last week, making him the first medical-marijuana doctor in the state to suffer regulatory consequences for a cannabis recommendation.
The Colorado Medical Board was seeking to take Aquino's license after he recommended medical marijuana to a woman who was six months pregnant.
Meanwhile, another medical-marijuana doctor, Paul Bregman, had his license suspended last week, records show.
Bregman is well known for making cannabis recommendations and is a member of the state Department of Revenue's medical- marijuana advisory group. Testifying at a public hearing late last year, Bregman estimated he had made more than 2,500 recommendations.
Medical Board documents provide little explanation for Bregman's suspension, saying cryptically that an investigative panel received information that Bregman has a condition that has harmed his ability to serve his patients.
Bregman, the panel wrote, "has engaged in a treatment for his physical or mental illness or condition that may cause cognitive deficiencies."
A spokesman for the state Department of Regulatory Agencies said he couldn't elaborate. Bregman did not return a phone message, and his attorney declined to comment.
In Aquino's case, the Medical Board accused the doctor of not meeting expected standards of care because he didn't perform a physical exam on the patient, review the patient's medical history or ask whether she was pregnant during the three-minute visit.
Aquino continues to maintain he did nothing wrong. In an official response last year to the allegations, he disputed whether using medical marijuana during pregnancy was harmful.
His attorneys said Wednesday that he had been made a scapegoat by anti-medical- marijuana regulators and that he didn't have the resources to continue fighting the allegations.
"The cost of it is quite prohibitive at this point," said attorney Sheila Meer, who represented Aquino in the administrative case. "He really isn't in the position to carry the fight for the younger doctors. This is a political issue."
Aquino, 70, still faces criminal charges in Arapahoe County after allegedly writing marijuana recommendations to two undercover police officers without giving them physical exams.
Both recommendations occurred before the legislature passed new laws last year specifying that doctors must have a "bona-fide" relationship with patients to whom they recommend marijuana. A trial date has not been set.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: denverpost.com
Author: John Ingold
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Copyright: 2011 The Denver Post
Website: Medical-pot doc surrenders license in Colorado - The Denver Post
