cannabisnews.com: Santa Cruz County Approves Pot ID Card Program Santa Cruz County Approves Pot ID Card Program Posted by CN Staff on June 10, 2003 at 22:05:08 PT Officials Say Program Will Be Voluntary Source: Associated Press Santa Cruz, Calif. -- The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a medical marijuana identification card program, the Clerk of the Board has confirmed.Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency officials say the program is designed to provide medicinal marijuana users with identification they may provide to police if necessary. It also provides a confidential process for physicians to make medical marijuana recommendations and helps law enforcement quickly identify when someone is legally using marijuana under the state's Proposition 215. County officials said Tuesday that the ID program will be voluntary and medical marijuana users who opt not to carry a card can still legally smoke cannabis. The program is mainly aimed at assisting law enforcement in the identification of patients legally using marijuana.Minors will also be eligible to receive the ID cards, but the program calls for the cards to be issued to the minor's parent or guardian. In addition, caregivers may also be issued cards on behalf of their patients.Each card will contain the Santa Cruz County seal, a serial number, a photo of the cardholder and the expiration date. They will also bear an advisory message stating that it is illegal to use or distribute cannabis for non-medical purposes. Those interested in applying for an ID card would need to present proof of their identity, their residence in Santa Cruz County and an original copy of the physician's statement recommending the use of medical marijuana.The approval of the program came after months of research into similar programs in San Francisco, Marin, Mendocino and Alameda counties to study the different approaches to providing cards to individuals using marijuana for medicinal purposes.The measure will come before the board on June 26 for final approval, and could go into effect as early as 31 days after that. Source: Associated PressPublished: June 10, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Pictures from WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htmFighting Back in Santa Cruzhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16092.shtmlMedical-Marijuana ID Card Sought http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16062.shtmlMenace or Medicine? - Santa Cruz Sentinel http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14648.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment