TULARE CO. EYES MEDICAL POT PLAN

Supervisors to Consider Fees and Identification Card Program Tuesday.

Tulare County supervisors on Tuesday will consider setting a fee and
starting a medical marijuana identification card program that
protects patients and caregivers from arrest.

A public hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. during the board's
regular meeting.

Tulare County health services officials are proposing a $100 fee for
the card.

Ray Bullick, director of health services for Tulare County, said the
fee is based on staff time and equipment required to operate the
program. Health services staff also checked with other counties that
already operate a program.

County health services staff are proposing to begin the program July
1, Bullick said.

If approved, Tulare County would become the second Central Valley
county to have such a program. Kern County is the other.

The program is a result of Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use
Act, approved in November 1996 by California voters. The law allows
patients or their caregivers to possess or cultivate marijuana for
medical purposes if they have a doctor's written recommendation.

Under federal law, marijuana use remains illegal, even as
medication.

In October 2003, Senate Bill 420 was signed into law and set rules
for qualifying patients and caregivers. It also required the
establishment of a statewide ID program for those who qualify.

Counties compile information from patients, including a photo, and
submit it to the California Department of Health Services. The
department distributes the ID cards and maintains an Internet
database that police can access to confirm status as a legitimate
medical marijuana user. The program is voluntary.

The program operates in 19 counties, said Norma Arceo, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Health Services. By Friday, the state had
produced 3,085 identification cards.

F. Aaron Smith, California coordinator with Safe Access Now, a
community-based group that promotes reasonable guidelines for the
implementation of Prop. 215, said he was happy to see Tulare County
quickly moving forward with the program since it last was discussed
by supervisors during a March meeting.

At that time, supervisors approved an interim ordinance prohibiting
dispensaries from opening in unincorporated areas -- a separate
matter from the ID program.

"This is a critical step in ensuring safe and legal access for
medical marijuana patients who are qualified in the county," Smith
said.

Smith said he hopes Tulare County's action motivates other counties
in the Valley to move forward with implementing the program.