State Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, says the economy, state budget and medical marijuana are among key issues facing legislators in the upcoming session of the Colorado General Assembly.

The 65 state representatives and the 35 state senators will meet Jan. 13 as the 67th session of the assembly opens its session.

Rice said the Legislature will be dealing with bills on a multitude of subjects but the overall state of the economy tops the list.

“Fortunately, it appears the economy in Colorado is on the road to recovery but we still have a long way to go,” Rice said. “The employment picture is improving slowly but better than most other states. Still, it will take time before hirings translate to improved tax revenues so we still face the challenge of cutting spending to balance the budget.”

He said one issue facing the Legislature is the state’s role in facilitating the economic recovery.

“For example, I hope we can consider and pass a bill that provides tax credits to companies that bring back laid-off employees,” he said. “That is the sort of action that would benefit small business and the whole state by putting people back to work. We need to take these and other steps to make sure that Colorado is and remains a great place to do business.”

He noted revenues continue to be down so, once again the Legislature must face the difficult tasks of making cuts to balance the budget.

Medical marijuana is another issue that the Legislature must deal with in the upcoming session, Rice said.

“I feel safe in saying the majority of people who voted to approve the 2000 provision to legalize medical marijuana envisioned the new law as a way to help people who truly needed the benefits of marijuana to relive pain of issues like chemotherapy or someone in hospice. But that isn’t what is happening with dispensaries popping up everywhere,” he said. “The amendment the voters passed talked about doctors, patients, chronic illness and medical uses of marijuana. That amendment didn’t mention dispensaries. So, I feel we need to meet the intent of those who voted to approve this amendment.”

He said he favors a bill that goes back to what is in the ballot measure, where he feels it states that if you have a condition a doctor feels will be helped by the medical use of marijuana, you can grow your own or get a supply from a caregiver.

“What the Legislature needs to do is define the relationship between doctor and patient. I feel medical marijuana should be like any other controlled substance that has medical purposes. So, we need to set the rules that state that in order to prescribe medical marijuana, there needs to be a real relationship between a licensed doctor and the patient. That would include the follow-up care and all the other things done when prescribing any other controlled substance. This is favored by the doctors in our medical community.”

He also said there should be a definition of caregiver that allows an individual to grow and provide medical marijuana to those who need it and can’t grow their own. But he said he suggests a caregiver be limited to five patients and that all caregivers sign up on a state registry so a person who has a prescription for medical marijuana can find someone to supply their needs.

He said the third thing that must be addressed is that the marijuana being provided is safe and doesn’t come from drug cartels or from areas that use dangerous pesticides banned in the U.S.

The state representative said he isn’t yet sure whether or not he’ll author a medical marijuana bill but he is more interested in supporting a bill that addresses the issues.

“As always, the Legislature has a lot on its plate to deal with,” Rice said. “Although this is an election year, I hope all the legislators put party politics on hold so we can work together and pass meaningful legislation for our state.”