Pubdate: Wed, 14 Feb 2007
Source: Hollister Free Lance (CA)
Copyright: 2007 Hollister Free Lance.
Contact:  http://www.freelancenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2927
Author: Anthony Ha
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL POT CARDS GET MORE EXPENSIVE

Hollister - Medical marijuana identification cards are about to get 
much more expensive.

At its meeting Tuesday, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors 
approved increasing fees from $40 to $213 per card. The main culprit, 
according to Health and Human Services Director Kathy Flores, is an 
increase in state fees.

The ID cards are supposed to reduce the chances that someone who is 
legally using marijuana for medicinal purposes would be wrongfully 
arrested. Medical marijuana users aren't required to have the ID 
cards, but the county is required by state law to provide them.

Marijuana is sometimes prescribed by physicians to treat conditions 
such as AIDS, arthritis and chronic pain.

Officials at the state's Department of Health Services originally 
estimated that San Benito County would receive around 230 
applications per year for the ID cards. However, only four ID cards 
were given out during the program's first three months.

Some county staffers have speculated that things will pick up as the 
program becomes more established. But if the rate holds steady, the 
county will be giving out only 16 cards per year.

When asked if she was surprised, Flores noted the ID program is new 
territory for her staff.

"Frankly we weren't quite sure what to expect," she said.

Flores said she doesn't know how the state arrived at its projection, 
but she believes the relatively few applicants could be due to a 
combination of several factors, from a possible dearth of medical 
marijuana users in San Benito County to a lack of awareness about the program.

Other counties have seen a spike in applications as medical marijuana 
users try to get their cards before the fee increase. Flores said 
it's possible that a similar surge in applications could occur here 
once marijuana users learn about the higher fee.

At both a state and county level, the ID program must be funded 
entirely by fees, rather than taxpayer dollars. To make that 
possible, California's Department of Health Services announced in 
December that it will be increasing its per-card fee - which is a 
part of the county's expenses - from $13 to $142.

As before, Medi-Cal users will only need to pay half the cost.

The Board of Supervisors gave its final approval to both the program 
and the initial fee last summer.

San Benito County has no marijuana co-ops or clubs where people could 
obtain medical marijuana locally, so residents seeking medical 
marijuana have to travel at least as far as Santa Cruz.

Supervisor Anthony Botelho said the county won't be getting marijuana 
dispensaries any time soon.

"Overseeing something like that would just add to the cost and 
bureaucracy," Botelho said. "I just have a view of marijuana as an 
illegal drug, and I would never support dispensaries in San Benito County."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman