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More good news for medical-marijuana patients--those ID cards Butte
County agreed to issue last week aren't going to cost as much as expected.

The California Department of Health Services announced Feb. 28 that
the portion of the cost that goes to the state--$142--will be reduced
to $66, effective April 1, 2007. Therefore, the total cost of the
card, with county fees included, will drop from $187.15 to $111.15.

"As county after county began to consider pulling out of the state
medical-marijuana ID card program, it was clear to all involved that
the fee increase at the $142 level would have ended the program,"
said Assemblyman Mark Leno (pictured), D-San Francisco, in a press
release. Leno authored SB 420 to establish the ID program.

The DHS has issued approximately 10,000 med-pot ID cards since August
2005 but has been hampered by the failure or refusal of some of the
state's most populous counties to implement the program. Without
their participation, the program has been unable to recover its costs
as required by state law.