Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 Source: Albany Democrat-Herald (OR) Copyright: 2011 Lee Enterprises Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/HPOp5PfB Website: http://www.democratherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/7 A FEE TOO HIGH Legislators are about to make it much more expensive to have a medical marijuana card. Why? OK, so with many people the marijuana card may be a subterfuge, but so what? As long as people get the stuff legally, why should the state object? A budget bill making its way through the legislature includes a fee increase from $100 a year to $200 for people holding the cards. It also adds a $200 annual fee for registered growers. According to advocates for the card holders, the new fees are expected to generate $7 million in new income for the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. You don't have to be a user of medical pot to appreciate that a 100 percent fee increase for patients, and the imposition of an entirely new $200 fee on authorized growers for patients, is an attack on the program and its participants. Many of them are poor. If they could afford expensive medicines, they might not need the medical pot for various pains. If administering the program costs too much money, the state should find ways to streamline the administration of it so it costs less. (hh) - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.