Ned Calonge on leaving as CO's chief medical officer & the "distraction" of medical marijuana

By Michael Roberts Thu., Aug. 26 2010 at 10:54 AM

Categories: Marijuana, News

Ned Calonge.

Dr. Ned Calonge, the Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, is leaving his post in November to serve as president of The Colorado Trust. Below, Calonge talks in detail about the decision to rejoin the private sector, his goals at the Trust, and his CDPHE tenure, with a focus on medical marijuana -- a topic that's taken more time than he'd like.

In Calonge's words, MMJ "has been a pretty significant distraction from what I would consider higher-priority public health issues" of the sort he'll be able to tackle in his new position with the Trust, which he's worked with on and off since shortly after it was formed in 1985.

"Its mission is to improve the health of the people of Colorado," Calonge says, "and it currently has a ten-year mission to ensure access to health care for everybody in the state."

The Trust provides grants to worthy recipients, although Calonge prefers to think of these bestowals as "strategic investments that help us move to policies and programs that will help us achieve our vision."

The Trust has a sizable pool from which to draw -- "somewhere around $20 million a year to help nonprofits or government agencies or academic institutions move the state forward. For example, look at health-care reform. One of the big opportunities for the Trust is to figure out how strategic investments can help achieve the objective of federal health-care reforms, which is to get access to health-care insurance for everyone. I think that moves us a long way forward to health care for everyone. And we'll be looking at whether health-care exchanges can help."

From the Colorado Trust website.

One of the appeals of the Trust presidency for Calonge is "a greater agility and a greater ability to make quicker decisions" than he can at present. "I may now be able to do things that both the politics and the machine of state government really prohibited in the past."

At the same time, he hopes to put his bureaucratic experience to a positive use. "I actually think that was one of the factors the trustees considered when they made their selection," he notes. "As an insider, I've worked for both a Republican and a Democratic administration, I've worked with the joint budget committee and the general assembly. And that knowledge will hopefully come in handy when we think of the best places to leverage the funds we have to make a difference."

Before he can do so, however, he's got some other things on his agenda.

"I've asked permission to work half-time through September and October and then go full time with the Trust in November," he says. "There were a few issues I wanted to see if I could conclude before I left."

Prominent among them, he adds, are "a few rule-making hearings in front of the board of health regarding medical marijuana and our implementation of Senate Bill 109," which attempts to clarify the relationship between MMJ patients and doctors, " and HB 1284," the main medical-marijuana regulatory measure.

According to him, "I thought it would only be fair, and help get some closure for me, too, as we tried to put policies together to make the program more medical."

Tags:

Bill Ritter, Brian Vicente, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, medical marijuana, Michael Roberts, Ned Calonge

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Ah, ah -- you know vitriol when some is poured in your ear, do you? I believe that you are fundamentally wrong about public perceptions of medical cannabis. It is true that many voters who were in the middle are dim enough to have taken the propaganda campaign against medical cannabis at face value, on the other hand many have at least some capacity to think for themselves, or to at least suspect the motives of the wealthy men who control the information most consume. Similarly, although the corporate media seek ever to limit and to manipulate public understanding of the case for patients' right to medical cannabis, the truth will out. I'm reminded of the debate at DU between Suthers and Rob Corry -- when it was over, I shouted at Suthers to accuse him of lying about cannabis; the Denver Post and John Ingold used a picture of me taken after the conclusion of the debate to claim that anti-Prohibitionists in the audience interrupted it by "screaming". This lie serves a propaganda purpose -- certainly for the Prohibitionists, who bank on Colorado's Midwestern mindset to reject something so not-nice as screaming at the AG, but, there are plenty of people who don't think it is crazy to yell at the AG too. The point is that we are not well-served by propagandists and toadies masquerading as journalists -- I am a partisan for cannabis, but I have more objectivity on the subject than the Denver Post, or you. Do you seriously believe that there is any prospect whatsoever for a repeal of medical cannabis? You can't be that out of touch; you're just trying to get a rise out of me. As for your gloating about the General Assembly having wasted much of the legislative session doing its utmost to screw up medical cannabis and the likely prospect of it doing so again next year, it might occur to you that the People have better uses for the legislators they employ. Resentment against medical cannabis is an incredibly pathetic motivating principle -- it might also occur to you that the People are fed up with unnecessary government intrusion into their lives and burgeoning bureaucracy, i.e. precisely the great labor of the General Assembly as reflected in SB109 and HB1284. Denver has already voted four times for liberalizing cannabis laws, and three of those were really votes to re-legalize adult possession generally -- what don't you get? It's the People's will, in Denver, it's the Law, and across Colorado, more and more people are coming to reject Prohibition.
Ah, the vitriolic rants just prove that the vast majority of MMJ advocates are classic narcissists. Too bad self-importance has never been very persuasive. It passed by a vote of 54% to 46% ten years ago. You can take credit for the 5% swing when it's gone. Most people who didn't care one way or another and voted for it said "why not?" at the time. Now they know why not. The 46% are still there, and you continue to alienate those that were on the fence before. Ah, but you don't need us right? You believe that everyone who voted for it in the past are cheering on the present anarchy that is the "MMJ lobby". Don't confuse indifference to use, with acceptance of wasteful political tactics. Other pressures will come to bear. Like taxing the hell out of it. You think cigarette taxes are bad? Child's play.
Repeal you: You are a prize moron. The obsession with cannabis on the part of the Establishment is totally unnecessary, so if the time of officials is being wasted they have only themselves to blame. As far as a drain on resources, the Governor just stole the remaining $9 million dollars in the MMJ Program Fund. As soon as you thieves replace the $12 million dollars you stole from patients, you just go back to pretending medical cannabis doesn't exist, then it won't tax your tiny minds. Don't worry, we are going to take care of the problem you are having with medical marijuana by repealing Prohibition.
I don't think Repeal It has a fucking clue what it takes to amend our state Constitution: "The Colorado General Assembly by a two-thirds vote of each chamber (the Colorado House of Representatives and the Colorado State Senate) can place a measure on the ballot asking the state's voters if they want a constitutional convention. The voters can approve a constitutional convention with a simple majority vote. Any proposed amendments coming out of such a convention are then to be submitted to a statewide vote of the people who can approve them by a simple majority." Good luck, asshat. That is one 2/3 sweep through the state Congress and TWO majorities through the ballot box. You better get to work.
http://www.legalize2012.com/
So you want to see sick people not have access to their medicine? How cruel are you. Of course the system will be full of abuse. But on both sides. People getting cards that might not be overly qualified. And idiots like Ritter and Calogne who abuse it by not following the Amendment as it is written. but instead follow their own agendas. Fact is it WILL be LEGAL for all in Colorado..hopefully in 2012. Plus our "sotners" $$ just might(if the legislature and Ritter break they law like they are publicly telling us they will) save teachers and education here in Co. How will black market $$ and forfeitures accomplish that? Repeal It you might want to put down the crack pipe or booze cause your arguement has more holes than swiss cheese. MMM stoner hungry. go eat cheese and fix budget..muhahaha
no shit dude if you dont like MMJ maybe YOU should move to Texass! dumbass bitch get out of colorado.
Riiiiiggght. The pendulum is swinging back toward prohibition? Which planet are you living on, exactly? You seem to be the real whiner here,buddy. You whine about a law you don't like, you whine about "stoners", you whine about the black market; all you have done here is whine! I'll bet your parties SUCK, you resentful little turd. You just can't stand the fact that people are doing something you don't approve of: it must be a sad, limpdicked way to live. Enjoy yourself.
Colorado isn't California. Never has been, never will be. On the bright side, California would be a great place for you to move. We'd all be happier. The pendulum is swinging. It's just a matter of time. And by the hostility of your postings, I can tell you feel it too. waaaaaaaah!
That money is keeping the state government afloat right now. I don't care how loudly you post your reactionary bullshit: you've got no chance in hell of getting rid of MMJ in the state of Colorado. I can't wait to see your campaign, Repeal It. I am sure it will be just as successful as the anti-Prop 19 movement in Cali. That state is so "sick" of cannabis they are getting ready to legalize it right across the board and there is nothing you or any other reactionary, prohibitionist jerkoff can do about it. Enjoy the next few years as they lead to full legalization, Buddy. I know I will!
And people like the Spleen are the exact reason why a repeal effort would be wildly successful. The shrill, shrieking minority of stoners with tunnel vision. The tax on increased sales of replacement "medication" would easily surpass whatever financial benefit you think the "program" brings. Not to mention the resumption of drug bust forfeitures of black market profits. But you can't see this broader perspective with your head up your ass. The simple fact is, the vast majority of the public are sick of your whining. Keep it up. It's only a matter of time.
Repeal It, you have no fucking clue what you are talking about: the MMJ program has made the state A LOT OF MONEY. Do you think that state is eager to kill this cash cow? CO just made about 16 million dollars in last six weeks from MMJ regulation and Ritter's raid on CDPHE, and you are stupid enough to believe the voters of this state are going to turn that money away? You don't speak for the public, assclown. My guess is that you are barely able to dress yourself in the morning. If YOU want to throw away free money be my guest; just don't be offended when the rest of us think you're a fucking idiot.
We'll just have to see whether the Department tries to use Ned's Law to go after recommenders, and how inclined the Board of Medical Examiners is to go along with them if it does. CDPHE has to specify extra-constitutional duties for caregivers, and we can be fairly sure that it will try to reassert its view of caregivers as personal assistants -- not good.
If there was an initiative to repeal medical marijuana, it would win in a landslide. The general public is sick of the issue and never anticipated the drain on resources it is causing.
"as head of the CDPHE, it was Ned's job to make sure this implemented in a legal fashion." I think many people, such as "NeilRobertson" have failed to actually read the state constitution. Part of that "implementation in a legal fashion" includes adequately staffing the registry in order to issue or reject cards within the constitutionally prescribed 35 days, something the CDPHE hasn't done for almost two years. While some doctors and patients may be abusing the system, how does that excuse 700+ violations of the law every day?
I hope the door hits his ass on the way out!
I think many people, such as "DenverLiberal", fail to understand the marijuana legislation. People seem to think it was legalized with a little card but the reality is MEDICAL marijuana was given the ok. And that part has been missed by many from users to doctors and as head of the CDPHE, it was Ned's job to make sure this implemented in a legal fashion. Unfortunately, it got out of hand and it got out of hand quick and the medical needs of marijuana have been missed. Advocates for the legalization of marijuana took this legislation's passing as way too much of a win... they're probably all tired out from getting this far but the reality is their work isn't done. It's not even close to being done! I'm for things getting done the right way and this really is a "backdoor" abuse of the legislation, a door that will be soon shut. Those who are for legalization need to shut it! And focus on a new path.
So, carrying out the will of the voters is a "distraction"? Guess what? The medical marijuana program is of equal importance as any other program at CDPHE. A true public servant might even consider it a slightly higher priority given its constitutional nature, but to Ned its just too much bother to not violate the constitution 700 times every day of the year. His attitude speaks volumes about how our supposed leaders regard the will of the voters. Ned and Bill get to break the law with impunity but the rest of us little people must toe the line! Is there anyway we can get Ned to leave immediately! I will start the chorus now: Good Riddance!