COUNTY ISSUES FIRST POT CARDS

After a year of debate, Merced County began issuing identification
cards for medical marijuana users two weeks ago. But so far, just
three people have signed up for the controversial program, county
officials said.

County spokeswoman Katie Albertson said two patients and one
caregiver have requested ID cards since the county began accepting
applications for the cards on May 1.

"We weren't exactly sure what to expect in terms of the numbers, but
it does seem low," Albertson said.

The county announced in December their decision to begin issuing the
cards, following a state judge's decision to reject the county's
challenge to California's medical marijuana law.

Merced, San Diego and San Bernadino counties brought the lawsuit
against the state last August. They argued that because federal law
prohibits all uses of the drug, counties shouldn't be held to state
laws requiring them to accommodate medical marijuana users.

In California, people with a valid prescription for the drug are
allowed to have up to eight ounces of usable marijuana and six mature
pot plants.

The ID cards are meant to help law enforcement officials quickly
determine whether a person found in possession of marijuana is using
the drug in compliance with the law, or whether he or she should be arrested.

Under state law, caregivers who assist patients with a valid
marijuana prescription can also get an ID card.

Merced resident Grant Wilson, who has long been urging the county to
adopt a card program, said he and his caregiver account for two of
the three people who have applied.

Wilson suffers from Hepatitis C and was arrested in 2005 after police
discovered pot plants growing in his home. He said he applied for the
card the day after the county began accepting applications. He's
still waiting for the card to arrive.

"I made my appointment (to apply) as soon as they'd let me," Wilson
said. "I've been waiting a long time for this and I'm tired of
worrying about getting arrested again."

But Wilson says his fight to have his medicine is far from over.

The city of Merced already has an ordinance in place that prohibits
medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within the city limits,
and Merced County is now looking at adding a similar ordinance.

Wilson says he's been growing his own marijuana, but he doesn't have
the greenest thumb.

"Not everybody has the know-how to grow their own, and when you have
health problems like mine, traveling to San Francisco to get your
medicine is an extra burden that you shouldn't have to deal with," Wilson said.

County attorney James Fincher said the county adopted an emergency,
temporary ordinance against marijuana dispensaries in May of 2005. It
expired a year later.

County staff are now preparing information on a permanent ordinance
for the county's Board of Supervisors, which will likely vote on the
matter within the next two months.

Currently, there are no medical marijuana dispensaries in the county.

Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin said he is pushing the ban.

While dispensaries are, in theory, supposed to provide medical
marijuana users a safe, legal alternative to buying pot on the
street, Pazin said dispensaries "draw a criminal element that Merced
just doesn't need."

"Nothing good will come to Merced from these dispensaries as far as
I'm concerned," Pazin said. "For the most part, they're about making
a quick buck, not about helping individuals with medical issues."

In addition to attracting crime, critics say dispensaries can lower
property values and disrupt nearby businesses.

Aaron Smith, a Medical marijuana advocate with Safe Access Now, said
that instead of banning dispensaries, the county should adopt an
ordinance regulating them.

"Without dispensaries, many patients are left to get their medicine
on the black market," Smith said. "A well-regulated dispensary that's
placed in the right area is actually a good thing for the community."

Currently 24 of California's 58 counties issue medical marijuana ID
cards, as required by a 2003 state law that expanded on Proposition 215.

California voters became the first in the country to legalize
medicinal marijuana when they passed the proposition in 1996. Since
then, 10 states have followed.

All marijuana users can still be prosecuted under federal law.

To get a card in Merced, county residents are required to submit an
application and a physician's order for the drug.

The cards cost $225 a piece and expire after a year.