Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Copyright: 2003 The Oregonian Contact: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324 Author: Don Colburn Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) MORE MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE LOWERS THE COST The number of Oregonians using medical marijuana with state approval continues to rise sharply -- enabling the state to reduce fees for low-income applicants. From Our Advertiser About 4,650 Oregonians, from all 36 counties in the state, have cards allowing them to grow and use marijuana for medical reasons. That is a jump of 55 percent during the past year, and the pace has quickened in the past few months. Another 75 applications a day arrive by mail, said Mary Leverette, manager of the medical marijuana program. The program supports itself entirely through fees and receives no general funds from the state budget, said Dr. Grant Higginson, state health officer. Rising revenue from fees has allowed the state to cut the fee for some applicants. Fees will drop Starting July 1, the annual fee for a medical marijuana card will drop from $150 to $50 for people covered by the Oregon Health Plan and those receiving federal Supplemental Security Income for a disability. For others, the initial fee remains $150, and the renewal fee drops to $100. About 30 percent of medical marijuana cardholders in Oregon are either on the Health Plan or receive federal disability income, officials said. The new fee schedule will be reconsidered in two years, Leverette said, depending on whether it provides enough revenue to meet the program's expenses. The backlog of applications reached 1,000 last year but has been reduced to about 100, Higginson said. Under the law, applications are supposed to be processed within 30 days. Limits on marijuana Oregon is one of eight states in which medical marijuana is legal. The state's Medical Marijuana Act, approved by voters in 1998, took effect in May 1999. Under the law, a doctor must verify that the patient has a "debilitating medical condition" such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS or severe pain. The patient or a designated caregiver must grow the marijuana, which cannot be purchased at a pharmacy. About 1,000 doctors in Oregon have signed a patient's application for a medical marijuana card. The vast majority of participating doctors have vouched for fewer than five patients, Higginson said. Medical marijuana cards must be renewed each year. The other seven states with laws protecting residents from arrest and jail for medical use of marijuana are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Washington. Maryland's governor last month signed into law a bill reducing the maximum marijuana possession penalty -- from possible imprisonment to a fine -- for seriously ill patients. "Our numbers haven't exploded like Oregon's," said Gail Kelsey, who runs Colorado's 2-year-old medical marijuana registry. Colorado's registry, modeled on Oregon's, includes about 440 users, about two-thirds of whom joined during the past year. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk