News » MMJ Cards Delayed in Michigan and Colorado

December 14, 2011 by Aaron Turpen

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Patients awaiting medical marijuana cards in Michigan or Colorado are going to have to wait. In Michigan, it’s a printing delay for the cards themselves as well as an unexpected backlog. In Colorado, state health investigators have put all applications on hold as they investigate possible fraud in the system.

Michigan patients can use their application paperwork as temporary cards until their state-issued MMJ card is delivered. The state expected fewer applicants this year than have been the case. The Medical Marijuana Program has become backlogged as the number of applicants for ID cards has exceeded its printing capacity for the cards themselves.

As the approval process moves, it often presents them with large chunks of cards rather than a steady trickle. The office can print only 800 cards per day, at maximum, and has seen as many as 1,500 a day. Holiday closures and other things have added to the delays.

Patients and caregivers are encouraged to keep their application paperwork with them until their cards arrive. The applications work as temporary cards for law enforcement purposes.

In Colorado, things are a little more ambiguous. The state is currently holding about 4,200 MMJ applications as an investigation into the process is undertaken. Officials with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment are holding applications coming from specific physicians as they investigate possible fraudulent or unethical behavior by those doctors giving medical cannabis recommendations.

Patients whose applications are being held should receive a notice by postal mail that this is the case. State lawmakers have not said whether applying through a different physician would remedy the hold.

The Health Department did say that applicants currently on hold will receive a rejection or a card by the end of January. A rejection will not necessarily mean you don’t qualify, only that you’d be required to re-submit through a different physician.

If your doctor’s recommendation did not come after a physical, in-person examination, chances are you will not receive a Colorado MMJ card as doctors are required by law to physically examine patients before giving a cannabis recommendation.

Tags: Colorado, medical card, medical marijuana, Michigan, MMJ