MARIJUANA ID CARD TO COST $140

DENVER - 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.