Among the cliches exploded by the digits is the theory that the registry is dominated with teens and twenty-somethings who are faking medical problems in order to purchase weed legally. According to the CDPHE, the average age of a patient in Colorado is forty -- 39 for men, 42 for women. Moreover, only forty patients in the entire state are minors, meaning that they're younger than age eighteen. Males represent 69 percent of all registry-card holders.
Another surprising statistic involves doctors who've suggested that patients try cannabis to address their medical conditions. More than 1,100 doctors in the state have written MMJ recommendations -- a greater number than many observers would have likely predicted.
The vast majority of patients -- 56 percent -- live in the Denver metro area, which includes Boulder. But patients can be found in virtually every corner of the state, including some of Colorado's least populous counties: sixteen in Kiowa County, nineteen in Jackson County, 35 in Lincoln County. Most list severe pain as a qualifying condition, with smaller numbers citing muscle spasms, nausea, cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc. Around 63 percent have designated a primary caregiver.
Look below to see the county-by-county patient breakdown, plus totals involving conditions and user characteristics:
Table 1: County Information: Table 2: Conditions: Table 3: User Characteristics: More from our Calhoun: Wake-Up Call archive: "Medical marijuana card arrives more than two months after cancer patient died."
