By April Charlton The Adobe Press - August 8, 2006 -- San Luis Obispo County will become the 22nd county in the state to implement a medical marijuana identification card program for qualified users of the medicinal drug.

With a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors gave its blessing to county health officials to implement a countywide program. Fourth District Supervisor Katcho Achadjian was the swing vote.

Achadjian was also the swing vote two weeks ago when the supervisors voted 3-2 to allow establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries within unincorporated areas of the county.

"I don't see the argument here," Achadjian said Tuesday. "This is a just a tool to make more honest citizens out of those who use (medical marijuana)."

Achadjian said he couldn't support not approving the identification card program after the board's recent, unanimous approval of a syringe exchange program for intravenous drug users.

"Having approved that, I feel this is almost nothing," he said.

In 2003, Senate Bill 420 was passed mandating every county in the state to implement an identification card program and begin issuing cards to qualified patients and caregivers.

The intent of SB 420 is to help law enforcement by creating a a form of identification for patients and caregivers that is official and uniform throughout the state.

When California voters passed Proposition 15 in 1996, which legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, it didn't include provisions for an identification card system.

Patients who don't have access to an identification card program, such as those in the county, carry a physician's recommendation letter showing they can use marijuana medicinally.

"A letter isn't as easily as identifiable as an ID card that has person's picture and a 1-800 number on it," said Dr. Greg Thomas, county public health officer.

People wishing to obtain an ID card will have to show their recommendation letter at the Health Department, where their picture will be taken digitally and then sent to state officials.

The state will issue the card and then send it back to the Health Department. Cards must be renewed annually or if a patient changes his or her caregiver, Thomas said.

The fee for the card will likely be between $75 and $100. Medi-Cal marijuana patients will only have to pay 50 percent of the card's cost. Thomas estimates the county will issue about 600 cards a year.

Under the county's identification card program, patients and caregivers can possess eight ounces of marijuana at any time, six mature marijuana plants and 12 immature plants — the state's minimum.

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