California Weekly Round UP

Posted by 21pc on March 14, 2008
Santa Cruz Joins the State ID Card Program This week, Santa Cruz County announced their plans to implement the California state medical cannabis ID card program. Santa Cruz County has had their own version of a medical cannabis ID card program for over 5 years, leaving patients at risk to have a negative law enforcement encounter outside of Santa Cruz County limits. Implementing the state ID card program has the potential to help reduce the risk of a negative law enforcement encounter when traveling throughout California. One of the draw backs for Santa Cruz patients, however, is the increase in cost associated with the state ID card. Santa Cruz County joins thirty-six other counties in implementing the medical cannabis ID card program. The ID card program's momentum has reached several of California's counties, including Sacramento, which will be holding a hearing to discuss implementing the medical cannabis state ID card program on Monday. Read the Sacramento Bee editorial about the debate over implementing the medical cannabis ID card program in Sacramento. Read more about Santa Cruz's ID card implementation in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Cloverdale Limits Access for Patients Wednesday the Cloverdale City Council voted to severely limit patient access by banning both medical cannabis dispensaries and outdoor cultivation. The city council voted 4-0 to tentatively ban both outdoor cultivation and dispensaries. If the council's decision becomes permanent, Cloverdale will become the fifth city in Sonoma County to limit patients' access to medicine by banning dispensaries. The council's decision also impacts patients' lives because it leaves patients to have to travel distances to find medicine or forces them to cultivate their own medicine indoors. Many patients do not have the resources to travel long distances and/or cultivate medicine. Read more about Cloverdale's attack on safe access in the Press Democrat.