MEDICINAL POT ON YUBA AGENDA

Four months after Yuba County supervisors deferred a decision to
consider medical marijuana identification cards, the issue is back on
their agenda.

In August, board members agreed to refrain from making a decision
until legal counsel could review state and federal laws on medical
marijuana. Tuesday, supervisors will consider approving a program
that will offer patients the option to obtain a statewide ID to
medically approved users.

County Counsel Dan Montgomery said approval would bring the county
into compliance with state law.

"It's necessary to comply with state law, so that's what we will be
doing with this," Montgomery said.

If the program is approved, Montgomery said there will be some costs
to the county for implementation.

"We will be able to charge a fee, so hopefully that will be able to
offset some of the cost," he said.

Aaron Smith, state coordinator for Safe Access Now, a nonprofit
organization promoting legal access to medical marijuana
identification cards, said he's surprised to see the item is on the
consent agenda.

"I think it shows this is not a controversial issue and that it is an
administrative task the board and the department of health have to
perform," Smith said.