The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says an estimated 30,000 people have applied for medical marijuana cards in our state and that number is growing every day.

According to the latest data from the Medical Marijuana Registry, as of December 15th, a total of 820 licensed physicians had authorized medical marijuana for 15,800 patients. Of those 820 physicians, just 15 accounted for 73 percent of total patients, and just five have authorized 49-percent of all recommendations.

Some are concerned that Amendment 20 is being abused and that’s why leaders in El Paso County and the city of Colorado Springs are working to put regulations in place.

County commissioners passed an ordinance today regulating where dispensaries can operate.

"There is definitely concern for abuse for this constitutional amendment," said Commissioner Sallie Clark.

The ordinance is a temporary six month ordinance that means medical marijuana dispensaries can't open just anywhere.

"It keeps them out of residential neighborhoods, it keeps them in more commercial areas,” Clark said.

The resolution only impacts unincorporated El Paso County. A dispensary cannot be within 500 feet of a school, church, park or home.

Old World Pharmaceuticals is currently the only dispensary operating outside city limits and it's up to code. "It doesn't affect us at all which is a good thing," said Kenny Brock, owner of Old World.

He opened for business about a month ago and says he welcomes the regulations. "Regulation is definitely needed. There definitely needs to be some definitions and to make that clear for everyone," Brock said.

Brock is also part of a city task force that has been meeting for a month or so to look at what the city should do.

"There are going to be problems if we don't get out in front of this," said City Councilman Tom Gallagher.

He and Councilman Sean Paige are heading up the effort, talking with patients, dispensary owners, law enforcement and others in the community.

In the meantime, the medical marijuana industry continues to boom with more and more people getting referrals to legally use marijuana.

The taskforce plans to present a rough draft to city council the first week of February. Several lawmakers are also proposing legislation to regulate at the state level.

El Paso County Commissioners were considering a possible moratorium on dispensaries outside the city. That's something that the city of Pueblo already has in place. At this point city leaders have given preliminary approval to extend the hold until June first.