MARIJUANA GROUP OFFERS HELP

HELENA - Low-income and ailing Montanans who are qualified to use
medical marijuana are now eligible for financial help with the
one-time $200 fee the state is charging patients to get on the medical
marijuana registry.

The Marijuana Policy Project of Washington, D.C., the main driver
behind Montana's new medical marijuana law, has donated $2,000 to a
financial assistance fund for low-income Montanans.

The project is also seeking private donations to the fund. The new law
was passed by voters on Nov. 2 and took effect Jan. 1.

"Our goal is to make sure that no Montana patient has to risk arrest
and jail because they can't afford to register," said Neal Levine,
director of state policies for the Medical Marijuana Project.
"Hopefully, Montanans will be as generous with their donations as they
were with their votes, keeping the program fully funded."

Robin Prosser of Missoula, a supporter of the new law, was dismayed
when she learned in December that the state would charge medical
marijuana users a $200 registration fee.

"This is pretty high cost just to get a card," Prosser said. "A
driver's license doesn't cost that much. It's like charging people for
handicapped stickers for their car."

Prosser is the first Montanan to receive the aid offered by the
Washington, D.C., group.

"I am grateful to MPP for their help, and I hope no other sick person
has to worry about whether they can afford a yearly cost like this,"
Prosser said in a written statement Tuesday.

The new law, passed by a 63 to 37 percent margin on Nov. 2, calls for
the creation of a state medical marijuana registry. Patients with
certain medical conditions who receive a written recommendation for
marijuana from their doctor are registered on the confidential list
and issued a card that permits them to have as many as six marijuana
plants and an ounce of marijuana.

Roy Kemp, head of the state's licensure bureau, said the new law
didn't come with any funding. He said the $200 fee is necessary to
cover the cost of the new database and registration service.

"We had to come up with a fee that would enable us to administer the
program as the voters intended," Kemp said in a written statement. "We
tried to keep the fee as low as possible without putting the program
in jeopardy. Given the cost of most medical treatments, we think $200
is not unreasonable."

Prosser, who uses marijuana to ease chronic bone pain, muscle spasms,
nausea and headaches, was charged last May with drug possession and
drug paraphernalia possession.

Patients will be eligible for assistance if they appear to qualify for
a medical marijuana ID card and their income is below 150 percent of
the federal poverty level, or about $9,300 for a single person. Full
application instructions are available at www.montanacares.org/assistance.html.
Contributions to the fund can be made online at www.mpp.org/patients.