Credit: Demo Fregosi

Come October 1, medical marijuana users could face a steep jump in permit fees. The $100 increase (making the price now $200) may be a key way for Oregon’s cash-strapped health care budget to gain a needed $7 million to fund other health programs. The bill awaits budget approval before going into effect the start of next month.

While this may come as a bonus to Oregon Health Authority, it could further perpetuate the problem with those who abuse the medical permit system. Most of the card holders who have a legitimate medical reason to use marijuana are financially worse off than those who use their permit recreationaly.

“It’s always a struggle, especially in this economic time,” says Madeline Martinez of the nonprofit marijuana advocate NORML. “So many patients are low income, it’s difficult to ask them to put even more money into it.”

The bill could also cut the $20 permit discount for Oregon food stamp cardholders.

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Despite the hefty price, this could be a step forward in legislation legalizing all marijuana use in the state. It’s currently illegal in Oregon to sell or purchase pot, but a few organizations have found (or tried to find) a way around it. Local group Portland Medical Cannabis Club accepts donations towards their nonprofit in exchange for marijuana — a loophole that essentially allows them to sell it. Aloha’s Wake N Bake Cannabis cafe, on the other hand, was shut down last month after officials found the owner had been straight-up selling marijuana.

But in tandem with this potential price bump, the president of Oregon’s sheriff association, Tom Bergin, announced his discontent with the state’s current medical marijuana laws this week. Bergin called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) “out of control” as 90 percent of of legal cardholders use medicinal cannabis to treat pain but not for cancer and glaucoma, which she says was the initial intention of the program. This, along with other police officer complaints, has led to Representative Andy Olson, R-Albany, reconsidering a past dismissed bill that could make it virtually impossible for doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients.

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...

8 replies on “Medical Marijuana Permit Fee May Double”

  1. “…90 percent of of legal cardholders use medicinal cannabis to treat pain but not for cancer and glaucoma”

    On a related note, 89% of cardholders are faking being in chronic pain.

  3. hmmm…another reason to hate police? Is it just me or does it seem like the police often work against the public it serves and not with it?

  4. What exactly is “abuse” in this case? People that funnel money into the system to support a usually recreational habit that, without this program, only benefits a black market that helps no one? Apart from the stigma of marijuana, which is getting a little outdated, I’ve yet to hear a strong argument against this program. Are people as worried about cubicle workers that fake symptoms to keep their Xanax refills coming? Marijuana isn’t anywhere near the most dangerous prescription drug that has a high percentage of users that don’t “need” it. If it can generate $7 million dollars to help fund other health programs, I think it clearly outweighs any plausible “Reefer Madness” scenario.

    And yes, I have a medical marijuana card and I don’t really suffer from a lot of pain. I still smoke about the same amount but the only difference is that now a spend a few hundred dollars a year at a local business that employees people and pays taxes.

  5. It,s not the OMMP`s fault there is a huge increase in administration demands, more and more people are signing up every day!!! Why dont people start filling out their own paperwork, stop supporting registry’s that should be giving this information away for free, yet charge up to $180 to file the paperwork for you, so if you just fill out your paperwork yourself or find a doctor that will help you, which they should also offer for free since your their patient, you will actually be saving money… Oregon registry’s were the first to step in to profit from the patient under the facade of compassion. Wake up!

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