TWO LOMPOC RESIDENTS MAKING USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA ID CARDS

In the first month of availability, Santa Barbara County's Public
Health Department has issued 14 medical marijuana identification
cards, including two to Lompoc residents, and has received two more
applications from people in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

The cards became available July 1 through the health department via
Senate Bill 420, which permits a voluntary identity card program by
which patients with prescriptions and caregivers can show law
enforcement officers that they are within their legal rights to
possess marijuana.

In July, 12 cards were issued to Santa Barbara residents and two to
Lompoc residents. Two applications are pending - one from Santa Maria
and another from Santa Barbara. County officials say they anticipate
500 applications over the course of a year.

Santa Barbara is one of eight local governments in California that are
printing ID cards. Next year, the state will produce a uniform card to
replace all county and city cards. That program is anticipated to
start in April.

Lompoc resident Jack Martin, 51, received his ID card
Monday.

Martin is a former construction worker who is on disability with
chronic back pain that was exacerbated by a 1986 surgery to fuse two
discs. Martin takes morphine for the pain but says the drug kills his
appetite, which he uses marijuana to counteract. Marijuana is widely
known to induce hunger.

"I take a light dose of morphine every day," Martin said. "I can go a
long time without eating, but when I smoke I could eat until I get
sick."

Health department officials worked closely with the county Law
Enforcement Chief's Association, an inter-agency commission headed by
Lompoc Police Chief William Brown, to ensure that the card program met
all the parties' concerns. Brown was initially among the most vocal
critics of the identity card program, but the Lompoc Police Department
now says it will honor the cards.

"If they don't have a card, we'll enforce the possession laws," said
Sgt. Michael Collins. "If they do have a card, we'll enforce the law
that says they can have their marijuana."

Collins said that no local officers had come into contact with the ID
card yet, but that they are concerned with forgery.

"No matter what kind of card you have, they can be forged," Collins
said.

The card, which is good for one year, includes a photo, a description
of the person's physical characteristics, date of birth, and
expiration date. There are no holograms or other devices that hamper
forgery, except for a randomly selected six-digit number, which
officials say is the key to avoiding forgery.

Police officers who are presented with the card call dispatch, who
check the numbers on a database. The database does not include the
card owner's medical information, said Susan Forkush, executive
director at the health department.

The cards promise to protect against arrest only within the issuing
county. Officers may not accept cards from other counties, Forkush
said.

Another vague area is where patients can purchase marijuana.

"The use and cards are established, but the big open-ended question is
who distributes and how," said Deputy Chief Rich Glaus, Santa Barbara
Police Department. "It's a gray area."

Cannabis clubs have historically been the sole means of distribution,
however they also tend to disappear quickly under pressure from local
authorities. Standard pharmacies won't touch the issue, and even
county agencies that distribute cards have no clue exactly where
card-holders can purchase marijuana. There are no known clubs
operating in Santa Barbara County.

Many card holders purchase seeds or plants from a club and grow their
own supply. Under Santa Barbara County restrictions they are allowed
six mature plants or 12 immature plants.

Martin has six mature plants, but he also travels twice a year to
cannabis clubs in Los Angeles or the Bay area, where he also possesses
cards. The marijuana is expensive, however, and not covered by health
insurance companies, which regard the medicinal use of the plant as
experimental.

Martin spends from $500 to $600 at the cannabis clubs for a six-month
supply. Costs vary according to variety of plant (which fluctuate in
potency), though 3.5 grams of standard varieties cost $55. Clubs also
sell other items with marijuana as an ingredient, including candy bars
like "Score" and "Reefer Peanut Butter Cups." Score costs $8 a bar.

The identity card program is fully funded by user fees. Patient and
caregiver cards cost $64 and Medi-Cal applicants pay $32. The
program's startup costs total $12,200. Ongoing costs will be evaluated
after six months, Forkush said.

Applicants must provide a valid state or federal photo ID card, a
completed original physician statement, and proof of county residence.