Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
A Colorado Springs doctor was among four physicians whose licenses were suspended Tuesday after state regulators claimed the doctors wrongfully allowed hundreds of people to grow extra medical marijuana plants.
Dr. William Tyler Stone's license was suspended after the Colorado Medical Board questioned the medical necessity of allowing people to grow scores of marijuana plants.
Currently, doctors can authorize medical marijuana for eight conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, seizures, severe nausea and severe pain. Any patients seeking to grow more than the state's standard plant count - six - must get clearance by a doctor.
Stone authorized at least 400 people to grow 75 or more marijuana plants from Jan. 1 through June 12, according to the Medical Board's suspension order.
The Medical Board said that authorizing so many extra plants for conditions other than cancer "falls below generally accepted standards of medical practice and lacks medical necessity."
Stone, 46, said he "absolutely" plans to appeal the decision, adding the Medical Board "doesn't like medical marijuana."
"As with any new industry or any new thing that comes around, you're going to have casualties," Stone said. "And unfortunately, those that are kind of trying to move forward and progress things in a positive direction, sometimes they cause some problems. And some issues arise."
"I know I'm moving it forward in a positive way," he said. "My patients love me."
The licenses of Dr. Gentry Dunlop of Aurora, Dr. Robert Maiocco of Denver and Dr. Deborah Parr of Durango also were suspended.
Together, the four doctors authorized nearly 1,600 people to grow 75 or more marijuana plants. The Medical Board said the volume of plants was not medically necessary.
Roughly 260 physicians in Colorado actively recommend marijuana for patients at any given time, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
But just 0.4 percent of the state's 106,000 registered medical marijuana patients were cleared to grow more than 75 plants in May, according to the health department's most recent data.
By contrast, 96 percent of those patients were capped at 25 plants, and the overwhelming majority of those patients could only have six plants.
The state's data sheet did not say whether it included the nearly 1,600 authorizations written by the four suspended doctors, and the status of those patients remained unclear Tuesday.
In suspending Stone's license, the Medical Board also took into account a letter of admonition it issued to him in March for performing online evaluations for people seeking to use medical marijuana.
A doctor of osteopathic medicine, Stone received his license in August 2010, according to the Medical Board. His focus is neurology.
Stone said he has written authorizations for almost 21/2 years. He said he started doing so because he believes marijuana can medically help people for conditions other than cancer.
"From the beginning, my initial impetus was because I knew it worked and I believed in it," Stone said.
He practices at Springs Specialty Clinic, 320 E. Fontanero St., as well as in Centennial and Pueblo.
Stone said other doctors have been increasingly reluctant to write medical marijuana authorizations amid fears they will be punished by state regulators - leaving fewer doctors to shoulder the load.
"A lot of docs are running scared," Stone said.
The circumstances of how each doctor came to the Medical Board's attention were not released.
Physicians are automatically referred to the board and investigated if they meet certain conditions in the state health department's physician referral policy. The benchmarks include:
- Authorizing more than 3,521 patients for marijuana in a year;
- Recommending extra plant counts for more than 30 percent of medical marijuana patients; and
- Having more than 33 percent of patients authorized to receive medical marijuana be younger than 30.
Jason Warf, executive director of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, framed the suspensions as part of a larger threat to the state's medical marijuana industry. Already, too few doctors authorize patients for medical marijuana, he said, and the referral policy threatens to further lower that figure.
"It's just a very easy way to shut down the entire industry," Warf said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Colorado Springs Doctor Among 4 In State To Have License Suspended For Medical Marijuana Authorizations
Author: Jakob Rodgers
Contact: 1-866-632-NEWS
Photo Credit: Robert F. Bukaty
Website: The Gazette
Dr. William Tyler Stone's license was suspended after the Colorado Medical Board questioned the medical necessity of allowing people to grow scores of marijuana plants.
Currently, doctors can authorize medical marijuana for eight conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, seizures, severe nausea and severe pain. Any patients seeking to grow more than the state's standard plant count - six - must get clearance by a doctor.
Stone authorized at least 400 people to grow 75 or more marijuana plants from Jan. 1 through June 12, according to the Medical Board's suspension order.
The Medical Board said that authorizing so many extra plants for conditions other than cancer "falls below generally accepted standards of medical practice and lacks medical necessity."
Stone, 46, said he "absolutely" plans to appeal the decision, adding the Medical Board "doesn't like medical marijuana."
"As with any new industry or any new thing that comes around, you're going to have casualties," Stone said. "And unfortunately, those that are kind of trying to move forward and progress things in a positive direction, sometimes they cause some problems. And some issues arise."
"I know I'm moving it forward in a positive way," he said. "My patients love me."
The licenses of Dr. Gentry Dunlop of Aurora, Dr. Robert Maiocco of Denver and Dr. Deborah Parr of Durango also were suspended.
Together, the four doctors authorized nearly 1,600 people to grow 75 or more marijuana plants. The Medical Board said the volume of plants was not medically necessary.
Roughly 260 physicians in Colorado actively recommend marijuana for patients at any given time, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
But just 0.4 percent of the state's 106,000 registered medical marijuana patients were cleared to grow more than 75 plants in May, according to the health department's most recent data.
By contrast, 96 percent of those patients were capped at 25 plants, and the overwhelming majority of those patients could only have six plants.
The state's data sheet did not say whether it included the nearly 1,600 authorizations written by the four suspended doctors, and the status of those patients remained unclear Tuesday.
In suspending Stone's license, the Medical Board also took into account a letter of admonition it issued to him in March for performing online evaluations for people seeking to use medical marijuana.
A doctor of osteopathic medicine, Stone received his license in August 2010, according to the Medical Board. His focus is neurology.
Stone said he has written authorizations for almost 21/2 years. He said he started doing so because he believes marijuana can medically help people for conditions other than cancer.
"From the beginning, my initial impetus was because I knew it worked and I believed in it," Stone said.
He practices at Springs Specialty Clinic, 320 E. Fontanero St., as well as in Centennial and Pueblo.
Stone said other doctors have been increasingly reluctant to write medical marijuana authorizations amid fears they will be punished by state regulators - leaving fewer doctors to shoulder the load.
"A lot of docs are running scared," Stone said.
The circumstances of how each doctor came to the Medical Board's attention were not released.
Physicians are automatically referred to the board and investigated if they meet certain conditions in the state health department's physician referral policy. The benchmarks include:
- Authorizing more than 3,521 patients for marijuana in a year;
- Recommending extra plant counts for more than 30 percent of medical marijuana patients; and
- Having more than 33 percent of patients authorized to receive medical marijuana be younger than 30.
Jason Warf, executive director of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, framed the suspensions as part of a larger threat to the state's medical marijuana industry. Already, too few doctors authorize patients for medical marijuana, he said, and the referral policy threatens to further lower that figure.
"It's just a very easy way to shut down the entire industry," Warf said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Colorado Springs Doctor Among 4 In State To Have License Suspended For Medical Marijuana Authorizations
Author: Jakob Rodgers
Contact: 1-866-632-NEWS
Photo Credit: Robert F. Bukaty
Website: The Gazette
