The state of California had been planning to increase the fees that it charges to organizations that it licenses to issue medical cannabis ID cards on March 1st. However, on the 1st, word spread that the Department of Health would raise the fees by $66 on April 1st, rather than by $142 in March. The new fee for Medi-Cal patients will be $33 dollars, remaining affordable to many, with seniors and veterans still scrambling to pay the more expensive fee because they receive federal - rather than state - benefits. Axis of Love and Assemblyperson Mark Leno's office had been working together to find a way to keep medical marijuana cards affordable for those who have low incomes. The state-issued card will reportedly be needed in order to enter any San Francisco dispensary, and is required to enter dispensaries in unincorporated areas of Alameda County. Report

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proposed a $30 card for San Francisco. Some predicted the state card program failing if San Francisco were to drop out. (Marin County suspended its ID card program) "As county after county began to consider pulling out of the state medical marijuana ID card program, it was clear to all involved that the fee increase at the $142 level would have ended the program," said Assemblyman Leno. Americans for Safe Access says, "It is important now to encourage Boards of Supervisors in counties that have not yet implemented ID card programs to implement immediately, so that there is equal protection across the state regardless of where one lives."

One patient's report about the February 28th "Procrastinators' Club" Line to Get ID Cards | Indybay's Past Coverage of the MMJ ID Card Fee Increase | San Francisco Medical Marijuana ID Cards | CA Medical Marijuana Program