Annual fee eliminated for Massachusetts medical marijuana patients

Massachusetts medical marijuana patients will no longer have to a pay a $50 annual fee for a patient registration card.

The fee will be eliminated under new rules governing medical marijuana approved unanimously Tuesday by the Cannabis Control Commission. The rules will become officials as soon as they are promulgated by the Secretary of State. The commission will then update its procedures for patient renewals and inform patients.

The elimination of the fee has been a priority of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, an advocacy group for medical marijuana patients.

“It was an obstruction to health care,” said Nichole Snow, executive director of the MPAA. “No other medicine requires a $50 fee.”

Representatives of the MPAA say the fee posed a hardship to low-income medical patients.

Although medical patients can now buy from the recreational market without a medical card, there are certain benefits only available to medical patients, including tax-free marijuana and the creation of an electronic patient record.

Snow said the elimination of the fee is “a real win for low-income and disabled patients.” [Read more at MassLive]