Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
At the Colorado Department of Revenue's Medical Marijuana Advisory Board's final meeting on Monday, Dec. 6,
2010, the DoR unveiled details about the monolithic database it is creating to gather volumes of private information on medical marijuana patients.
*WATCH VIDEO* Fern Epstein, a consultant with Rebound Solutions who was hired by the Department of Revenue to help design the database, gave an overview of the plan. Click here to watch the video of her presentation:
(Note: The powerpoint slides were impossible to see even in the room.)
The database will be shared among several state agencies, including the Department of Revenue, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and all state, local and federal law enforcement, including the Colorado Crime Information Center and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Epstein stated that there "needs to be some interface between various information technology databases." She explained, "Revenue needs information from the Registry. The Registry needs information from the Department of Revenue, and law enforcement needs information from both of those organizations."
She also stated that law enforcement will have "24/7 access to Registry data" and the new database will "give access to officers on the street and in their patrol cars -- access to registry and Department of Revenue data."
Epstein said, "The goal is for replacement of the Registry probably within a year's time."
This patient and medicine tracking database is a clear violation of the Article XVIII, Section 14 of Constitution, Colorado's Medical Marijuana Amendment, which requires that the health agency maintain a confidential registry of patients, which can only be accessed by law enforcement for the purpose of determining whether a person who has been detained is a member of the Registry.
Colorado Constitution - ARTICLE XVIII. Section 14
(3) The state health agency shall create and maintain a confidential registry of patients who have applied for and are entitled to receive a registry identification card according to the criteria set forth in this subsection, effective June 1, 2001.
(a) No person shall be permitted to gain access to any information about patients in the state health agency's confidential registry, or any information otherwise maintained by the state health agency about physicians and primary care-givers, except for authorized employees of the state health agency in the course of their official duties and authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies which have stopped or arrested a person who claims to be engaged in the medical use of marijuana and in possession of a registry identification card or its functional equivalent, pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subsection (3). Authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies shall be granted access to the information contained within the state health agency's confidential registry only for the purpose of verifying that an individual who has presented a registry identification card to a state or local law enforcement official is lawfully in possession of such card.
Patients fear that their formerly private medical information will be used to prosecute them. Patients are already opting out of the Registry out of fear of this new "data fusion" system. Many more patients will opt-out of the MMC-model if this database is developed.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Cannabis Therapy Institute
Copyright: 2010 Cannabis Therapy Institute
Contact: info@cannabistherapyinstitute.com
Website: Cannabis Therapy Institute - Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Research, Education and Advocacy in Colorado
2010, the DoR unveiled details about the monolithic database it is creating to gather volumes of private information on medical marijuana patients.
*WATCH VIDEO* Fern Epstein, a consultant with Rebound Solutions who was hired by the Department of Revenue to help design the database, gave an overview of the plan. Click here to watch the video of her presentation:
(Note: The powerpoint slides were impossible to see even in the room.)
The database will be shared among several state agencies, including the Department of Revenue, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and all state, local and federal law enforcement, including the Colorado Crime Information Center and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Epstein stated that there "needs to be some interface between various information technology databases." She explained, "Revenue needs information from the Registry. The Registry needs information from the Department of Revenue, and law enforcement needs information from both of those organizations."
She also stated that law enforcement will have "24/7 access to Registry data" and the new database will "give access to officers on the street and in their patrol cars -- access to registry and Department of Revenue data."
Epstein said, "The goal is for replacement of the Registry probably within a year's time."
This patient and medicine tracking database is a clear violation of the Article XVIII, Section 14 of Constitution, Colorado's Medical Marijuana Amendment, which requires that the health agency maintain a confidential registry of patients, which can only be accessed by law enforcement for the purpose of determining whether a person who has been detained is a member of the Registry.
Colorado Constitution - ARTICLE XVIII. Section 14
(3) The state health agency shall create and maintain a confidential registry of patients who have applied for and are entitled to receive a registry identification card according to the criteria set forth in this subsection, effective June 1, 2001.
(a) No person shall be permitted to gain access to any information about patients in the state health agency's confidential registry, or any information otherwise maintained by the state health agency about physicians and primary care-givers, except for authorized employees of the state health agency in the course of their official duties and authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies which have stopped or arrested a person who claims to be engaged in the medical use of marijuana and in possession of a registry identification card or its functional equivalent, pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subsection (3). Authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies shall be granted access to the information contained within the state health agency's confidential registry only for the purpose of verifying that an individual who has presented a registry identification card to a state or local law enforcement official is lawfully in possession of such card.
Patients fear that their formerly private medical information will be used to prosecute them. Patients are already opting out of the Registry out of fear of this new "data fusion" system. Many more patients will opt-out of the MMC-model if this database is developed.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Cannabis Therapy Institute
Copyright: 2010 Cannabis Therapy Institute
Contact: info@cannabistherapyinstitute.com
Website: Cannabis Therapy Institute - Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Research, Education and Advocacy in Colorado
