MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM BEGINS IN EL DORADO COUNTY

As of this week, adult pot smokers deemed to have "serious medical
conditions" can apply for a county permit and pay an annual $114 fee
to use the psychotropic drug legally with a doctor's prescription.

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors recently authorized the
Public Health Department to locally implement the California Medical
Marijuana Program.

The MMP is voluntary and intended to provide patients with an
identification card that could be used as evidence that they have a
physician's recommendation to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In El Dorado County, the identification card program began Wednesday.

The California Department of Health Services established the MMP in
2004 to facilitate the registration of qualified patients and their
primary caregivers through a statewide identification system. The
medical marijuana identification card can also assist law enforcement
officials in determining whether individuals using marijuana meet the
requirements of California's Compassionate Use Act, also known as
Proposition 215.

The Compassionate Use Act exempts patients, their caregivers and
physicians who recommend the use of marijuana for medical purposes
from state criminal laws for the possession, use, transportation,
delivery or cultivation of marijuana. However, the Act does not
protect marijuana plants from seizure nor individuals from federal
prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act.

To qualify for the MMP and apply for a medical marijuana
identification card, an individual must be 18 years of age and older
with a serious medical condition and certification from a physician
indicating that medical marijuana is appropriate for their condition.
Caregivers, whose patients meet the above criteria, are also eligible
for the MMP. Identification cards are good for one year only.
Applicants must re-apply, show proof of continued medical need, and
pay the registration fee each year.

The cost of the medical marijuana identification card in El Dorado
County is currently $114. Applicants with proof of current
Medi-Cal/CMSP benefits will be charged $57. All fees are
non-refundable, even if the application is denied. Applications for
the MMP are available at the Emergency Medical Services Agency
located at 415 Placerville Drive, Suite J in Placerville and may be
picked up weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1p.m. to 5 p.m. Completed
applications will be accepted by appointment only.

For additional information on the MMP, please visit
www.dhs.ca.gov/mmp. To schedule an appointment to return an
application, or for further questions about the program or the ID
cards in El Dorado County, please call (530) 621-6500. The Public
Health Department plans to post additional information about the MMP,
including downloadable application forms, on their Web site at
www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/publichealth by Sept. 1.

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IDENTIFICATION CARDS MAY BE ISSUED TO THOSE WITH QUALIFYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS

What is a "serious medical condition" that allows for medicinal use
of marijuana?

"Serious medical condition" means all of the following medical conditions:

. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

. Anorexia

. Arthritis

. Cachexia

. Cancer

. Chronic pain

. Glaucoma

. Migraine

. Persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to, spasms
associated with multiple sclerosis

. Seizures, including, but not limited to, seizures associated with epilepsy

. Severe nausea

. Any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that either: 1)
Substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one or more
major life activities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 2) If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the
patient's safety or physical or mental health.