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County supervisors vote to issue IDs for marijuana users
$50.00 fee will be lessened for Medi-Cal patients
07-12-06 | InsideBayArea.Com

Starting Aug. 1, Alameda County will issue medical marijuana identification cards that will be recognized by county marijuana dispensaries and by law enforcement statewide.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to set a $50 fee for the cards, which will be issued by the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative. Board President Keith Carson was absent.

The cards will be the only ones recognized by marijuana dispensaries in the county's unincorporated areas, according to a county staff report.

The cards will be part of a statewide identification system and will be recognized by state and local law enforcement, according to the staff report.

County public health management analyst Pam Willow said 20 counties are providing the cards so far, though two — San Diego and San Bernardino — have launched court challenges questioning their obligation to provide marijuana or the identification cards.

The public health department estimates about 10,000 of the cards will be issued in the county each year, and that about a quarter of the people applying for the cards will qualify for a Medi-Cal fee reduction that will cut the cost of the card in half.

Patients will need to provide proof of identity, a doctor's recommendation for the marijuana and proof of Alameda County residency. The cards will be good for one year. Changes are approved by the board.

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