San Benito County health officials are already working on a new
program to issue medical marijuana identification cards, but are
waiting for the results of a countywide fee study to determine how
much it will cost before bringing the program before the county
Board of Supervisors for approval.
Hollister – San Benito County health officials are already working on a new program to issue medical marijuana identification cards, but are waiting for the results of a countywide fee study to determine how much it will cost before bringing the program before the county Board of Supervisors for approval.
“This is being done in all 58 counties – it’s the law,” county Health Officer Elizabeth Falade said. “We’re a little ways away from issuing cards and the program is kind of on hold until the Board completes its fee assessment study.”
A state law passed in 2003 requires all counties to offer medical marijuana ID cards to registered marijuana users.
The ID card program is expected to cost about $8,500 per year, County Management Analyst Susan Lyons said. That money would be used to purchase equipment such as a camera, a lamination machine to produce the cards and cover staff training costs, Lyons said. County officials have not yet determined how much residents will be charged in fees for the ID cards, Lyons said.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said cost would be a key factor in his decision to support the program.
“The program will have to pay for itself,” he said. “San Benito County is not in a position to create new programs without a new revenue source to off-set the services.”
Both Lyons and Falade said they plan to make the program fully self-supporting.
Lyons expects to have the entire fee assessment study completed in time for the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 21. At that time, the county will have a better idea of what kind of fee will be levied on participants of the medical marijuana ID card program. Lyons said the health department will probably bring a program proposal to the board within weeks of that meeting.
The next step for the Health Department is getting a green light from the Board of Supervisors to start the program.
“We first have to get approval,” Falade said. “And then we’ll want to work with law enforcement on this so they aren’t taken by surprise.”
Based on state estimates, health department officials are expecting about 203 people to request cards each year – less than 1 percent of county residents, Falade said.
Falade said the state has given some direction to the health department on how to run the program, but many of the details, like how to organize and execute the program, still need to be hammered out.
“The state gave us the nuts and bolts,” Falade said. “But as far as implementation, it’s up to each individual county.”
In order to get an ID card, residents will have to fill out a form and provide proof that they have a doctor’s recommendation, Falade said.
“We don’t judge,” she said. “We just check to see if the physician is on the up and up and issue the cards.”
San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill believes the program could make things easier for law enforcement officials by clearly identifying those who have a prescription to use marijuana. Hill said he would work closely with the county health department to make sure all deputies are aware of what the cards will look like and how they are issued.
“It’s a non-issue – all the counties in the state are moving in this direction,” he said. “We’ll follow the directions of the health department.”
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller agreed.
“The goal is to follow the law,” he said. “And if we find there are problems with the cards, then we’ll make those recommendations.”
While they have already started to work on the ID card program, Falade and others are also keeping their eyes on San Diego County, which is refusing to issue the cards and suing the state to overturn the law.
Last week ,San Diego County sued the state of California and its director of health services in federal court, saying federal law that prohibits marijuana use trumps state law that allows it. California approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes with the passage of Proposition 215, which won 55 percent of votes cast in 1996. San Diego is the only California county that has refused to provide identification cards to registered medical marijuana users.
Locally, the state versus federal debate hit the San Benito County courts in a case two weeks ago involving medical marijuana confiscated from a Los Angeles-area man by the Hollister-Gilroy California Highway Patrol. CHP Commander Otto Knorr had refused to return the marijuana for months in defiance of a court order believing that it would violate federal drugs laws. Knorr relented just days before a contempt of court hearing this month on direction from the Attorney General’s Office.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
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