Colorado health authorities to keep pot registry

Colorado health authorities have rejected for a second time a request from medical marijuana patients to dismantle the medical pot registry.

The state Board of Health declined a patient petition Wednesday to dismantle the existing registry and start another one because of security breaches. The breaches were outlined in an audit earlier this year.

The board did agree to lower annual fees paid by medical marijuana patients. The exact rate will be decided in December.

Although marijuana use is now legal for all adults over 21 in Colorado, some 109,000 people are registered to use medical marijuana.

Patients pay $35 a year for the right to shop in dispensaries and are also allowed to possess more marijuana. The registry is not supposed to make money, just cover administrative costs.