cannabisnews.com: Marijuana ID Card To Cost $140 





Marijuana ID Card To Cost $140 
Posted by FoM on March 22, 2001 at 12:03:41 PT
By Robert Weller, Associated Press
Source: Daily Camera
The State Board of Health on Tuesday approved a plan to charge $140 for an identification card allowing patients to grow small amounts of marijuana for medicinal purposes. A voter-approved constitutional amendment requires the state to have a system in place June 1 that will make it possible for victims of debilitating maladies to get marijuana. Their doctors must determine that marijuana would be a better treatment than other medications. 
The plan also promises that applications will be acted on within 30 days, and officials said they would work with possible donors to help people on fixed incomes pay for the cards. "I'm satisfied with the way they drafted the rules. I feel comfortable with them because they reflect the amendment," said Julie Roache of Coloradans for Medical Rights, the group that put the amendment on the ballot. Several speakers criticized the amendment during a two-hour hearing, saying it was too restrictive, and made no provision for making marijuana available. "We never would have gotten here if we had tried to do more," said Roache, noting there was considerable opposition to the amendment from law enforcement agencies and others. The unanswered question remains how patients will get marijuana since it is illegal to possess it under state and federal laws. The amendment allows patients to grow their own. They are limited to three mature plants and 2 ounces of marijuana. "How's a sick person supposed to go out and grow marijuana," asked Kathleen Chippi, who said she had been smoking it for a decade after other drugs "turned me into a walking zombie." Jane Norton, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Dr. Michael Barkett, president of the health board, repeatedly reminded the audience that they were strictly adhering to the amendment. It does not explain how the marijuana will be distributed. Next week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in an appeal of a decision to allow California cannabis clubs to provide marijuana to patients under a law similar to the Colorado amendment. Some speakers urged the board to make getting marijuana no more complicated than getting other drugs, but Barkett said health officials had little latitude. Patients whose doctors decide that marijuana will help must apply to the health department and wait up to 30 days for their cases to be reviewed. The permit would be good for a year. Dr. Richard Hoffman, the state epidemiologist, said the department would try to approve applications quickly. He said the 30-day period was set based on experiences in Oregon and other states with similar laws. Hoffman said a registry of certified marijuana users will be set up but will remain confidential. Law enforcement officers will be able to verify the authenticity of marijuana identification cards. They will not be able to get any other information on cardholders, Hoffman said. State officials say they expect as many as 850 people to apply. The $140 fee is intended to cover the costs of the program in order to avoid having to use funds from other projects. Officials said the fee will be reduced if it is generating more money than needed. Source: Daily Camera (CO)Author: Robert Weller, Associated PressPublished: March 22, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Daily CameraAddress: Open Forum, Daily CameraP.O. Box 591, Boulder, CO 80306Fax: 303-449-9358Contact: openforum thedailycamera.comWebsite: http://www.bouldernews.com/Feedback: http://www.bouldernews.com/opinion/index.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Coloradans For Medical Rights http://www.medicalmarijuana.com/Board OKs Fee for Pot Permithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9116.shtmlMedical-Pot Backers Press for Easier Accesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9109.shtml
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