Medical Marijuana Growers May Get Hit With Higher Fees

Under state regulations, medical marijuana growers can grow cannabis for up to four patients. Currently, growers must pay $50 for each patient they grow for. Under the new proposal, they would have to pay $200 per patient.

Anthony Taylor, President and lobbyist for Compassionate Oregon, told GoLocal the proposal could spell trouble for medical marijuana patients.

“The effect on patients is collateral,” Taylor said. “Patients don't have to pay this fee directly but they will pay for it by paying higher prices for medicine. Those people are going to suffer.”

People who grow for themselves will not have to pay increased fees. The price of registering for a medical marijuana card will also not change.

Health Authority Officials said the increase in fees is necessary. They cited the newly created recreational marijuana market, which they believe will cause fees paid to the medical marijuana program to drop. The fees support regulatory services for the medical marijuana industry and public health initiatives.

Andre Ourso, manager of the health authority's medical marijuana program, said that he expects 40 percent of medical dispensaries to transition to the retail market.

“We may lose a significant amount of revenue from dispensaries," Ourso said.

Taylor said that there were multiple problems with the proposed change. Primarily, Taylor said, the increase in fees is not needed.

“This is unnecessary,” Taylor said. “This program already produced enough revenue to pay for itself without the fee increase.”

Taylor also pointed out that he feels the proposal is unfair to medical marijuana growers.

“Most of these growers do this out of compassion, not to make money,” Taylor said. “To ask them to step up and spend more money in order to keep doing that is absolutely unreasonable.”

Charles Gamble, Chair of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Patients, Growers and Caretakers Association, said that raising the fees is unfair.

“The fees don't go to increased services. They raised the fees once already and introduced no new services but used the money for other programs,” Gamble said. “What they're asking is that Oregon’s sickest people pay more to fund other programs. That isn't fair.”

Taylor said that because of the fee increases, many growers may be forced to charge patients more for their medication or stop growing entirely.

“There are growers that aren’t going to be able to pay this, and they're going to have to stop growing or start forcing patients to pay more,” he said. “That means people aren't going back to get their medications and they could suffer.”

Gamble agreed.

“Patients are going to suffer if the Oregon Health Authority keeps raising the fees,” Gamble said. “More and more growers are not going to be able to provide for their patients.”

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