Judge slaps Colorado medical pot hearing

DENVER, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A meeting by Colorado's state Board of Health to change the rules on medical marijuana wasn't held properly, a state judge says.

Chief Denver District Judge Larry Naves on Tuesday overturned the state board's move at the meeting to repeal the definition of a medical marijuana "caregiver" because it didn't take public testimony on the issue, The Denver Post reported.

The newspaper said Naves also ordered the state to pay the attorneys' fees of medical marijuana backers, who had complained they were wrongly prevented from participating in the telephone-only board meeting.

The emergency meeting was called to tighten the definition of what a "caregiver" is after the Colorado Court of Appeals last month upheld the conviction of a marijuana grower who unsuccessfully defended himself by saying he was a caregiver.

The court ruled that "caregivers" must have more meaningful contact with patients than just supplying them with pot, the Post said.