The Gazette, 04 Sep 2010 – Amendment 20 was passed by Colorado voters in 2000. It calls for the use of Medical Marijuana (MMJ) by individuals with "debilitating medical conditions" who have received an MMJ card through the state Health Department. It was designed to deliver the drug through a caregiver model allowing a caregiver to provide MMJ to a very limited number of patients. It also allows for a patient to grow his or her own personal supply of MMJ. For years, this model worked well and provided MMJ for up to 4,000 patients statewide. In 2008 however, the Obama administration declared that, within states with MMJ laws, there would no longer be any federal enforcement of marijuana laws. Add to this an appellate court decision that essentially said that the omission of a definition or even mention of dispensaries within Amendment 20 meant that they must be legal, and suddenly the number of MMJ card applications skyrocketed. Also skyrocketing over the past two years is the number of dispensaries, large scale grow operations and infused products operations.