HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE – HSC
DIVISION 10. UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT [11000 – 11651]
Chapter 6. Offenses and Penalties [11350 – 11392]
ARTICLE 2.5. Medical Marijuana Program [11362.7 – 11362.85]
This section of the code created the voluntary state medical marijuana ID card program, the individual safe harbor and the collective defense.
(Article 2.5 added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. )
11362.7.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) “Attending physician” means an individual who possesses a license in good standing to practice medicine or osteopathy issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California and who has taken responsibility for an aspect of the medical care, treatment, diagnosis, counseling, or referral of a patient and who has conducted a medical examination of that patient before recording in the patient’s medical record the physician’s assessment of whether the patient has a serious medical condition and whether the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.
(b) “Department” means the State Department of Health Services.
(c) “Person with an identification card” means an individual who is a qualified patient who has applied for and received a valid identification card pursuant to this article.
(d) “Primary caregiver” means the individual, designated by a qualified patient or by a person with an identification card, who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health, or safety of that patient or person, and may include any of the following:
(1) In any case in which a qualified patient or person with an identification card receives medical care or supportive services, or both, from a clinic licensed pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1200) of Division 2, a health care facility licensed pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of Division 2, a residential care facility for persons with chronic life-threatening illness licensed pursuant to Chapter 3.01 (commencing with Section 1568.01) of Division 2, a residential care facility for the elderly licensed pursuant to Chapter 3.2 (commencing with Section 1569) of Division 2, a hospice, or a home health agency licensed pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 1725) of Division 2, the owner or operator, or no more than three employees who are designated by the owner or operator, of the clinic, facility, hospice, or home health agency, if designated as a primary caregiver by that qualified patient or person with an identification card.
(2) An individual who has been designated as a primary caregiver by more than one qualified patient or person with an identification card, if every qualified patient or person with an identification card who has designated that individual as a primary caregiver resides in the same city or county as the primary caregiver.
(3) An individual who has been designated as a primary caregiver by a qualified patient or person with an identification card who resides in a city or county other than that of the primary caregiver, if the individual has not been designated as a primary caregiver by any other qualified patient or person with an identification card.
(e) A primary caregiver shall be at least 18 years of age, unless the primary caregiver is the parent of a minor child who is a qualified patient or a person with an identification card or the primary caregiver is a person otherwise entitled to make medical decisions under state law pursuant to Sections 6922, 7002, 7050, or 7120 of the Family Code.
(f) “Qualified patient” means a person who is entitled to the protections of Section 11362.5, but who does not have an identification card issued pursuant to this article.
(g) “Identification card” means a document issued by the State Department of Health Services that document identifies a person authorized to engage in the medical use of marijuana and the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any.
(h) “Serious medical condition” means all of the following medical conditions:
- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
- Anorexia.
- Arthritis.
- Cachexia.
- Cancer.
- Chronic pain.
- Glaucoma.
- Migraine.
- Persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to, spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
- Seizures, including, but not limited to, seizures associated with epilepsy.
- Severe nausea.
- Any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that either:
- Substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one or more major life activities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336).
(B) If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient’s safety or physical or mental health.
(i) “Written documentation” means accurate reproductions of those portions of a patient’s medical records that have been created by the attending physician, that contain the information required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 11362.715, and that the patient may submit to a county health department or the county’s designee as part of an application for an identification card.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.71.
(a) (1) The department shall establish and maintain a voluntary program for the issuance of identification cards to qualified patients who satisfy the requirements of this article and voluntarily apply to the identification card program.
(2) The department shall establish and maintain a 24-hour, toll-free telephone number that will enable state and local law enforcement officers to have immediate access to information necessary to verify the validity of an identification card issued by the department, until a cost-effective Internet Web-based system can be developed for this purpose.
(b) Every county health department, or the county’s designee, shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide applications upon request to individuals seeking to join the identification card program.
(2) Receive and process completed applications in accordance with Section 11362.72.
(3) Maintain records of identification card programs.
(4) Utilize protocols developed by the department pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).
(5) Issue identification cards developed by the department to approved applicants and designated primary caregivers.
(c) The county board of supervisors may designate another health-related governmental or nongovernmental entity or organization to perform the functions described in subdivision (b), except for an entity or organization that cultivates or distributes marijuana.
(d) The department shall develop all of the following:
(1) Protocols that shall be used by a county health department or the county’s designee to implement the responsibilities described in subdivision (b), including, but not limited to, protocols to confirm the accuracy of information contained in an application and to protect the confidentiality of program records.
(2) Application forms that shall be issued to requesting applicants.
(3) An identification card that identifies a person authorized to engage in the medical use of marijuana and an identification card that identifies the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any. The two identification cards developed pursuant to this paragraph shall be easily distinguishable from each other.
(e) No person or designated primary caregiver in possession of a valid identification card shall be subject to arrest for possession, transportation, delivery, or cultivation of medical marijuana in an amount established pursuant to this article, unless there is reasonable cause to believe that the information contained in the card is false or falsified, the card has been obtained by means of fraud, or the person is otherwise in violation of the provisions of this article.
(f) It shall not be necessary for a person to obtain an identification card in order to claim the protections of Section 11362.5.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.712.
(a) Commencing on January 1, 2018, a qualified patient must possess a physician’s recommendation that complies with Article 25 (commencing with Section 2525) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code. Failure to comply with this requirement shall not, however, affect any of the protections provided to patients or their primary caregivers by Section 11362.5.(b) A county health department or the county’s designee shall develop protocols to ensure that, commencing upon January 1, 2018, all identification cards issued pursuant to Section 11362.71 are supported by a physician’s recommendation that complies with Article 25 (commencing with Section 2525) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(Added November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 64, Sec. 5.1.)
11362.713.
(a) Information identifying the names, addresses, or social security numbers of patients, their medical conditions, or the names of their primary caregivers, received and contained in the records of the State Department of Public Health and by any county public health department are hereby deemed “medical information” within the meaning of the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 56) of Division 1 of the Civil Code) and shall not be disclosed by the department or by any county public health department except in accordance with the restrictions on disclosure of individually identifiable information under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.
(b) Within 24 hours of receiving any request to disclose the name, address, or social security number of a patient, their medical condition, or the name of their primary caregiver, the State Department of Public Health or any county public health agency shall contact the patient and inform the patient of the request and if the request was made in writing, a copy of the request.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 56.10 of the Civil Code, neither the State Department of Public Health, nor any county public health agency, shall disclose, nor shall they be ordered by agency or court to disclose, the names, addresses, or social security numbers of patients, their medical conditions, or the names of their primary caregivers, sooner than the 10th day after which the patient whose records are sought to be disclosed has been contacted.
(d) No identification card application system or database used or maintained by the State Department of Public Health or by any county department of public health or the county’s designee as provided in Section 11362.71 shall contain any personal information of any qualified patient, including, but not limited to, the patient’s name, address, social security number, medical conditions, or the names of their primary caregivers. Such an application system or database may only contain a unique user identification number, and when that number is entered, the only information that may be provided is whether the card is valid or invalid.
(Added November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 64, Sec. 5.2.)
11362.715.
(a) A person who seeks an identification card shall pay the fee, as provided in Section 11362.755, and provide all of the following to the county health department or the county’s designee on a form developed and provided by the department:(1) The name of the person, and proof of his or her residency within the county.
(2) Written documentation by the attending physician in the person’s medical records stating that the person has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.
(3) The name, office address, office telephone number, and California medical license number of the person’s attending physician.
(4) The name and the duties of the primary caregiver.
(5) A government-issued photo identification card of the person and of the designated primary caregiver, if any. If the applicant is a person under 18 years of age, a certified copy of a birth certificate shall be deemed sufficient proof of identity.
(b) If the person applying for an identification card lacks the capacity to make medical decisions, the application may be made by the person’s legal representative, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(1) A conservator with authority to make medical decisions.
(2) An attorney-in-fact under a durable power of attorney for health care or surrogate decisionmaker authorized under another advanced health care directive.
(3) Any other individual authorized by statutory or decisional law to make medical decisions for the person.
(c) The legal representative described in subdivision (b) may also designate in the application an individual, including himself or herself, to serve as a primary caregiver for the person, provided that the individual meets the definition of a primary caregiver.
(d) The person or legal representative submitting the written information and documentation described in subdivision (a) shall retain a copy thereof.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.72.
(a) Within 30 days of receipt of an application for an identification card, a county health department or the county’s designee shall do all of the following:(1) For purposes of processing the application, verify that the information contained in the application is accurate. If the person is less than 18 years of age, the county health department or its designee shall also contact the parent with legal authority to make medical decisions, legal guardian, or other person or entity with legal authority to make medical decisions, to verify the information.
(2) Verify with the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California that the attending physician has a license in good standing to practice medicine or osteopathy in the state.
(3) Contact the attending physician by facsimile, telephone, or mail to confirm that the medical records submitted by the patient are a true and correct copy of those contained in the physician’s office records. When contacted by a county health department or the county’s designee, the attending physician shall confirm or deny that the contents of the medical records are accurate.
(4) Take a photograph or otherwise obtain an electronically transmissible image of the applicant and of the designated primary caregiver, if any.
(5) Approve or deny the application. If an applicant who meets the requirements of Section 11362.715 can establish that an identification card is needed on an emergency basis, the county or its designee shall issue a temporary identification card that shall be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance. The county, or its designee, may extend the temporary identification card for no more than 30 days at a time, so long as the applicant continues to meet the requirements of this paragraph.
(b) If the county health department or the county’s designee approves the application, it shall, within 24 hours, or by the end of the next working day of approving the application, electronically transmit the following information to the department:
(1) A unique user identification number of the applicant.
(2) The date of expiration of the identification card.
(3) The name and telephone number of the county health department or the county’s designee that has approved the application.
(c) The county health department or the county’s designee shall issue an identification card to the applicant and to his or her designated primary caregiver, if any, within five working days of approving the application.
(d) In any case involving an incomplete application, the applicant shall assume responsibility for rectifying the deficiency. The county shall have 14 days from the receipt of information from the applicant pursuant to this subdivision to approve or deny the application.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.735.
(a) An identification card issued by the county health department shall be serially numbered and shall contain all of the following:
(1) A unique user identification number of the cardholder.
(2) The date of expiration of the identification card.
(3) The name and telephone number of the county health department or the county’s designee that has approved the application.
(4) A 24-hour, toll-free telephone number, to be maintained by the department, that will enable state and local law enforcement officers to have immediate access to information necessary to verify the validity of the card.
(5) Photo identification of the cardholder.
(b) A separate identification card shall be issued to the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any, and shall include a photo identification of the caregiver.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.74.
(a) The county health department or the county’s designee may deny an application only for any of the following reasons:
(1) The applicant did not provide the information required by Section 11362.715, and upon notice of the deficiency pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 11362.72, did not provide the information within 30 days.
(2) The county health department or the county’s designee determines that the information provided was false.
(3) The applicant does not meet the criteria set forth in this article.
(b) Any person whose application has been denied pursuant to subdivision (a) may not reapply for six months from the date of denial unless otherwise authorized by the county health department or the county’s designee or by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Any person whose application has been denied pursuant to subdivision (a) may appeal that decision to the department. The county health department or the county’s designee shall make available a telephone number or address to which the denied applicant can direct an appeal.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.745.
(a) An identification card shall be valid for a period of one year.
(b) Upon annual renewal of an identification card, the county health department or its designee shall verify all new information and may verify any other information that has not changed.
(c) The county health department or the county’s designee shall transmit its determination of approval or denial of a renewal to the department.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.755.
(a) Each county health department or the county’s designee may charge a fee for all costs incurred by the county or the county’s designee for administering the program pursuant to this article.
(b) In no event shall the amount of the fee charged by a county health department exceed one hundred dollars ($100) per application or renewal.
(c) Upon satisfactory proof of participation and eligibility in the Medi-Cal program, a Medi-Cal beneficiary shall receive a 50 percent reduction in the fees established pursuant to this section.
(d) Upon satisfactory proof that a qualified patient, or the legal guardian of a qualified patient under the age of 18, is a medically indigent adult who is eligible for and participates in the County Medical Services Program, the fee established pursuant to this section shall be waived.
(e) In the event the fees charged and collected by a county health department are not sufficient to pay for the administrative costs incurred in discharging the county health department’s duties with respect to the mandatory identification card system, the Legislature, upon request by the county health department, shall reimburse the county health department for those reasonable administrative costs in excess of the fees charged and collected by the county health department.
(Amended November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 64, Sec. 5.3.)
11362.76.
(a) A person who possesses an identification card shall:
(1) Within seven days, notify the county health department or the county’s designee of any change in the person’s attending physician or designated primary caregiver, if any.
(2) Annually submit to the county health department or the county’s designee the following:
(A) Updated written documentation of the person’s serious medical condition.
(B) The name and duties of the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any, for the forthcoming year.
(b) If a person who possesses an identification card fails to comply with this section, the card shall be deemed expired. If an identification card expires, the identification card of any designated primary caregiver of the person shall also expire.
(c) If the designated primary caregiver has been changed, the previous primary caregiver shall return his or her identification card to the department or to the county health department or the county’s designee.
(d) If the owner or operator or an employee of the owner or operator of a provider has been designated as a primary caregiver pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 11362.7, of the qualified patient or person with an identification card, the owner or operator shall notify the county health department or the county’s designee, pursuant to Section 11362.715, if a change in the designated primary caregiver has occurred.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.765.
(a) Subject to the requirements of this article, the individuals specified in subdivision (b) shall not be subject, on that sole basis, to criminal liability under Section 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360, 11366, 11366.5, or 11570. However, nothing in this section shall authorize the individual to smoke or otherwise consume marijuana unless otherwise authorized by this article, nor shall anything in this section authorize any individual or group to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit.
(b) Subdivision (a) shall apply to all of the following:
(1) A qualified patient or a person with an identification card who transports or processes marijuana for his or her own personal medical use.
(2) A designated primary caregiver who transports, processes, administers, delivers, or gives away marijuana for medical purposes, in amounts not exceeding those established in subdivision (a) of Section 11362.77, only to the qualified patient of the primary caregiver, or to the person with an identification card who has designated the individual as a primary caregiver.
(3) Any individual who provides assistance to a qualified patient or a person with an identification card, or his or her designated primary caregiver, in administering medical marijuana to the qualified patient or person or acquiring the skills necessary to cultivate or administer marijuana for medical purposes to the qualified patient or person.
(c) A primary caregiver who receives compensation for actual expenses, including reasonable compensation incurred for services provided to an eligible qualified patient or person with an identification card to enable that person to use marijuana under this article, or for payment for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing those services, or both, shall not, on the sole basis of that fact, be subject to prosecution or punishment under Section 11359 or 11360.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.768.
(a) This section shall apply to individuals specified in subdivision (b) of Section 11362.765.
(b) No medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider who possesses, cultivates, or distributes medical marijuana pursuant to this article shall be located within a 600-foot radius of a school.
(c) The distance specified in this section shall be the horizontal distance measured in a straight line from the property line of the school to the closest property line of the lot on which the medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider is to be located without regard to intervening structures.
(d) This section shall not apply to a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider that is also a licensed residential medical or elder care facility.
(e) This section shall apply only to a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider that is authorized by law to possess, cultivate, or distribute medical marijuana and that has a storefront or mobile retail outlet which ordinarily requires a local business license.
(f) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a city, county, or city and county from adopting ordinances or policies that further restrict the location or establishment of a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider.
(g) Nothing in this section shall preempt local ordinances, adopted prior to January 1, 2011, that regulate the location or establishment of a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider.
(h) For the purposes of this section, “school” means any public or private school providing instruction in kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, but does not include any private school in which education is primarily conducted in private homes.
(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 603, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2011.)
11362.769.
Indoor and outdoor medical cannabis cultivation shall be conducted in accordance with state and local laws. State agencies, including, but not limited to, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Water Resources Control Board, the California regional water quality control boards, and traditional state law enforcement agencies shall address environmental impacts of medical cannabis cultivation and shall coordinate, when appropriate, with cities and counties and their law enforcement agencies in enforcement efforts.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 32, Sec. 66. Effective June 27, 2016.)
11362.77.
(a) A qualified patient or primary caregiver may possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana per qualified patient. In addition, a qualified patient or primary caregiver may also maintain no more than six mature or 12 immature marijuana plants per qualified patient.
(b) If a qualified patient or primary caregiver has a doctor’s recommendation that this quantity does not meet the qualified patient’s medical needs, the qualified patient or primary caregiver may possess an amount of marijuana consistent with the patient’s needs.
(c) Counties and cities may retain or enact medical marijuana guidelines allowing qualified patients or primary caregivers to exceed the state limits set forth in subdivision (a).
(d) Only the dried mature processed flowers of female cannabis plant or the plant conversion shall be considered when determining allowable quantities of marijuana under this section.
(e) The Attorney General may recommend modifications to the possession or cultivation limits set forth in this section. These recommendations, if any, shall be made to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2005, and may be made only after public comment and consultation with interested organizations, including, but not limited to, patients, health care professionals, researchers, law enforcement, and local governments. Any recommended modification shall be consistent with the intent of this article and shall be based on currently available scientific research.
(f) A qualified patient or a person holding a valid identification card, or the designated primary caregiver of that qualified patient or person, may possess amounts of marijuana consistent with this article.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.775.
(a) Subject to subdivision (b), qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and persons with identification cards, who associate within the State of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate cannabis for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that fact be subject to state criminal sanctions under Section 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360, 11366, 11366.5, or 11570.
(b) This section shall remain in effect only until one year after the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation posts a notice on its Internet Web site that the licensing authorities have commenced issuing licenses pursuant to the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 19300) of Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code).
(c) This section is repealed one year after the date upon which the notice is posted pursuant to subdivision (b).
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 32, Sec. 67. Effective June 27, 2016. Inoperative and repealed on date prescribed by its own provisions.)
11362.777.
(a) The Department of Food and Agriculture shall establish a Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program to be administered by the secretary and, except as specified in subdivision (c), shall administer this section as it pertains to the commercial cultivation of medical cannabis. For purposes of this section and Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 19300) of Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, medical cannabis is an agricultural product.
(b) (1) A person or entity shall not cultivate medical cannabis without first obtaining both of the following:
(A) A license, permit, or other entitlement, specifically permitting cultivation pursuant to these provisions, from the city, county, or city and county in which the cultivation will occur.
(B) A state license issued by the department pursuant to this section.
(2) A person or entity shall not submit an application for a state license pursuant to this section unless that person or entity has received a license, permit, or other entitlement, specifically permitting cultivation pursuant to these provisions, from the city, county, or city and county in which the cultivation will occur.
(3) A person or entity shall not submit an application for a state license pursuant to this section if the proposed cultivation of cannabis will violate the provisions of any local ordinance or regulation, or if medical cannabis is prohibited by the city, county, or city and county in which the cultivation is proposed to occur, either expressly or otherwise under principles of permissive zoning.
(c) (1) Except as otherwise specified in this subdivision, and without limiting any other local regulation, a city, county, or city and county, through its current or future land use regulations or ordinance, may issue or deny a permit to cultivate medical cannabis pursuant to this section. A city, county, or city and county may inspect the intended cultivation site for suitability before issuing a permit. After the city, county, or city and county has approved a permit, the applicant shall apply for a state medical cannabis cultivation license from the department. A locally issued cultivation permit shall only become active upon licensing by the department and receiving final local approval. A person shall not cultivate medical cannabis before obtaining both a permit from the city, county, or city and county and a state medical cannabis cultivation license from the department.
(2) A city, county, or city and county that issues or denies conditional licenses to cultivate medical cannabis pursuant to this section shall notify the department in a manner prescribed by the secretary.
(3) A city, county, or city and county’s locally issued conditional permit requirements must be at least as stringent as the department’s state licensing requirements.
(d) (1) The secretary may prescribe, adopt, and enforce regulations relating to the implementation, administration, and enforcement of this part, including, but not limited to, applicant requirements, collections, reporting, refunds, and appeals.
(2) The secretary may prescribe, adopt, and enforce any emergency regulations as necessary to implement this part. Any emergency regulation prescribed, adopted, or enforced pursuant to this section shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and, for purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of the regulation is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare.
(3) The secretary may enter into a cooperative agreement with a county agricultural commissioner to carry out the provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, administration, investigations, inspections, licensing and assistance pertaining to the cultivation of medical cannabis. Compensation under the cooperative agreement shall be paid from assessments and fees collected and deposited pursuant to this chapter and shall provide reimbursement to the county agricultural commissioner for associated costs.
(e) (1) The department, in consultation with, but not limited to, the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, shall implement a unique identification program for medical cannabis. In implementing the program, the department shall consider issues, including, but not limited to, water use and environmental impacts. In implementing the program, the department shall ensure compliance with Section 19332.2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(2) The department shall establish a program for the identification of permitted medical cannabis plants at a cultivation site during the cultivation period. The unique identifier shall be attached at the base of each plant. A unique identifier, such as, but not limited to, a zip tie, shall be issued for each medical cannabis plant.
(A) Unique identifiers will only be issued to those persons appropriately licensed by this section.
(B) Information associated with the assigned unique identifier and licensee shall be included in the trace and track program specified in Section 19335 of the Business and Professions Code.
(C) The department may charge a fee to cover the reasonable costs of issuing the unique identifier and monitoring, tracking, and inspecting each medical cannabis plant.
(D) The department may promulgate regulations to implement this section.
(3) The department shall take adequate steps to establish protections against fraudulent unique identifiers and limit illegal diversion of unique identifiers to unlicensed persons.
(f) (1) A city, county, or city and county that issues or denies licenses, permits, or other entitlements to cultivate medical cannabis pursuant to this section shall notify the department in a manner prescribed by the secretary.
(2) Unique identifiers and associated identifying information administered by a city, county, or city and county shall adhere to the requirements set by the department and be the equivalent to those administered by the department.
(g) This section does not apply to a qualified patient cultivating cannabis pursuant to Section 11362.5 if the area he or she uses to cultivate cannabis does not exceed 100 square feet and he or she cultivates cannabis for his or her personal medical use and does not sell, distribute, donate, or provide cannabis to any other person or entity. This section does not apply to a primary caregiver cultivating cannabis pursuant to Section 11362.5 if the area he or she uses to cultivate cannabis does not exceed 500 square feet and he or she cultivates cannabis exclusively for the personal medical use of no more than five specified qualified patients for whom he or she is the primary caregiver within the meaning of Section 11362.7 and does not receive remuneration for these activities, except for compensation provided in full compliance with subdivision (c) of Section 11362.765. For purposes of this section, the area used to cultivate cannabis shall be measured by the aggregate area of vegetative growth of live cannabis plants on the premises. Exemption from the requirements of this section does not limit or prevent a city, county, or city and county from exercising its police authority under Section 7 of Article XI of the California Constitution.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 32, Sec. 68. Effective June 27, 2016.)
11362.78.
A state or local law enforcement agency or officer shall not refuse to accept an identification card issued by the department unless the state or local law enforcement agency or officer has reasonable cause to believe that the information contained in the card is false or fraudulent, or the card is being used fraudulently.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.785.
(a) Nothing in this article shall require any accommodation of any medical use of marijuana on the property or premises of any place of employment or during the hours of employment or on the property or premises of any jail, correctional facility, or other type of penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person shall not be prohibited or prevented from obtaining and submitting the written information and documentation necessary to apply for an identification card on the basis that the person is incarcerated in a jail, correctional facility, or other penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained.
(c) Nothing in this article shall prohibit a jail, correctional facility, or other penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained, from permitting a prisoner or a person under arrest who has an identification card, to use marijuana for medical purposes under circumstances that will not endanger the health or safety of other prisoners or the security of the facility.
(d) Nothing in this article shall require a governmental, private, or any other health insurance provider or health care service plan to be liable for any claim for reimbursement for the medical use of marijuana.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.79.
Nothing in this article shall authorize a qualified patient or person with an identification card to engage in the smoking of medical marijuana under any of the following circumstances:
(a) In any place where smoking is prohibited by law.
(b) In or within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school, recreation center, or youth center, unless the medical use occurs within a residence.
(c) On a schoolbus.
(d) While in a motor vehicle that is being operated.
(e) While operating a boat.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.795.
(a) (1) Any criminal defendant who is eligible to use marijuana pursuant to Section 11362.5 may request that the court confirm that he or she is allowed to use medical marijuana while he or she is on probation or released on bail.
(2) The court’s decision and the reasons for the decision shall be stated on the record and an entry stating those reasons shall be made in the minutes of the court.
(3) During the period of probation or release on bail, if a physician recommends that the probationer or defendant use medical marijuana, the probationer or defendant may request a modification of the conditions of probation or bail to authorize the use of medical marijuana.
(4) The court’s consideration of the modification request authorized by this subdivision shall comply with the requirements of this section.
(b) (1) Any person who is to be released on parole from a jail, state prison, school, road camp, or other state or local institution of confinement and who is eligible to use medical marijuana pursuant to Section 11362.5 may request that he or she be allowed to use medical marijuana during the period he or she is released on parole. A parolee’s written conditions of parole shall reflect whether or not a request for a modification of the conditions of his or her parole to use medical marijuana was made, and whether the request was granted or denied.
(2) During the period of the parole, where a physician recommends that the parolee use medical marijuana, the parolee may request a modification of the conditions of the parole to authorize the use of medical marijuana.
(3) Any parolee whose request to use medical marijuana while on parole was denied may pursue an administrative appeal of the decision. Any decision on the appeal shall be in writing and shall reflect the reasons for the decision.
(4) The administrative consideration of the modification request authorized by this subdivision shall comply with the requirements of this section.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.8.
No professional licensing board may impose a civil penalty or take other disciplinary action against a licensee based solely on the fact that the licensee has performed acts that are necessary or appropriate to carry out the licensee’s role as a designated primary caregiver to a person who is a qualified patient or who possesses a lawful identification card issued pursuant to Section 11362.72. However, this section shall not apply to acts performed by a physician relating to the discussion or recommendation of the medical use of marijuana to a patient. These discussions or recommendations, or both, shall be governed by Section 11362.5.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.81.
(a) A person specified in subdivision (b) shall be subject to the following penalties:
(1) For the first offense, imprisonment in the county jail for no more than six months or a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(2) For a second or subsequent offense, imprisonment in the county jail for no more than one year, or a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(b) Subdivision (a) applies to any of the following:
(1) A person who fraudulently represents a medical condition or fraudulently provides any material misinformation to a physician, county health department or the county’s designee, or state or local law enforcement agency or officer, for the purpose of falsely obtaining an identification card.
(2) A person who steals or fraudulently uses any person’s identification card in order to acquire, possess, cultivate, transport, use, produce, or distribute marijuana.
(3) A person who counterfeits, tampers with, or fraudulently produces an identification card.
(4) A person who breaches the confidentiality requirements of this article to information provided to, or contained in the records of, the department or of a county health department or the county’s designee pertaining to an identification card program.
(c) In addition to the penalties prescribed in subdivision (a), any person described in subdivision (b) may be precluded from attempting to obtain, or obtaining or using, an identification card for a period of up to six months at the discretion of the court.
(d) In addition to the requirements of this article, the Attorney General shall develop and adopt appropriate guidelines to ensure the security and nondiversion of marijuana grown for medical use by patients qualified under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.82.
If any section, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this article is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, that portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct, and independent provision, and that holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion thereof.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 875, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.)
11362.83.
Nothing in this article shall prevent a city or other local governing body from adopting and enforcing any of the following:
(a) Adopting local ordinances that regulate the location, operation, or establishment of a medical marijuana cooperative or collective.
(b) The civil and criminal enforcement of local ordinances described in subdivision (a).
(c) Enacting other laws consistent with this article.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 196, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2012. Note: Section 11362.9 is in Article 2, following Section 11362.5.)
11362.84.
The status and conduct of a qualified patient who acts in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act shall not, by itself, be used to restrict or abridge custodial or parental rights to minor children in any action or proceeding under the jurisdiction of family or juvenile court.
(Added November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 64, Sec. 5.4.)
11362.85.
Upon a determination by the California Attorney General that the federal schedule of controlled substances has been amended to reclassify or declassify marijuana, the Legislature may amend or repeal the provisions of the Health and Safety Code, as necessary, to conform state law to such changes in federal law.
(Added November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 64, Sec. 5.5.)