Berkeley, California is set to require medical marijuana dispensaries to distribute free cannabis to low-income patients who are in need of the drug. The City Council voted on the matter on Tuesday, and the amendments are set for final approval next week.
This Obamacare-esque decision is likely to please those who cannot afford their medication. And since dispensaries are plentiful in California (with four of them located in Berkeley), it's a reasonable request from lawmakers. Under the new provisions, the city's dispensaries will be required to distribute 2% of the amount of medical cannabis they sell each year to low-income patients for free.
Similarly, last month residents of San Jose were given free marijuana in exchange for voting in a local election. Only those who with a medical marijuana ID card were permitted to receive the cannabis, but it was still a controversial issue because such incentives for voting are very uncommon. However, they're not illegal, so the free pre-rolled marijuana cigarette was accepted by a number of voters.
The marijuana that the Berkeley dispensaries will give out for free must also be the same quality that's distributed to regular paying customers throughout the year. But this is nothing new for the city. The Berkeley Patients Group, a marijuana dispensary in the city, has been giving out free marijuana to the poor for 15 years. Under the dispensary's "Helping Hands Program," patients who cannot afford their medical marijuana can submit an application to receive the drug each year.
"We've found out over the years that one of the cruel realities is that when you do get sick and you have a serious illness is that it's often hard to keep a job, can be hard to keep your income up, so those people really need the help the most," said Sean Luse of Berkeley Patients Group, in this CBS San Francisco article.
The Berkeley City Council obviously agrees as they voted unanimously on this matter to amend the city's marijuana laws. In order to be eligible for the free marijuana, the applicant must qualify for exemption from local taxes and fees, earning an income of $32,000 a year for one person or $46,000 a year for a family of four. The city council meeting took place on Tuesday, and you can take a look at the revised agenda here.
You can read more about the Berkeley City Council marijuana decision in this NBC Bay Area article.
