Medical Marijuana May Be Offered at Discount to Low Income Patients
Marijuana is far from cheap, no matter where you get it from. But low income users of the herb for medical purposes may be getting special rates to help them cover costs.
An ounce of marijuana can cost anywhere from $100 to $500 per ounce on the street, a high price that some smaller areas have reduced as the illegal trade widens in the United States.
At a medical marijuana dispensary, the average low for an ounce is $300, a price that lawmakers worry poorer patients may forgo in exchange for the cheaper allowance from a street dealer.
Because of this, lawmakers are considering offering the drug on a sliding scale, charging the dispensaries a small amount every month in taxes to better regulate the product, and cover the discount.
David Catania, the lawmaker who is drafting the bill to provide marijuana to low income residents in Washington, says that the purpose is to allow a valuable resource to spread within the medical community, while continuing to lower prices for care.
How much that sliding scale will take off the price has not yet been decided, but the decision could be coming soon. We can assume it will be around the street price, to encourage the patients to obtain it legally.
The legalization of marijuana has become one of the more debated social issues of modern day. With more states turning to medical uses, and a major recession sapping state budgets, the chances for full legalization are becoming less of a matter of ‘if’, and more a matter of ‘when’.