Arizona’s medical cannabis card fees face court test

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An Arizona attorney has filed a lawsuit asking the state’s Court of Appeals to decide whether the $150 patient card fee is legal, a move that could affect Arizona’s medical marijuana market.

Lawyer Sean Berberian claims the $150 fee is unnecessarily high, according to Capitol Medial Services, because it generates more than enough revenue to cover the cost of running the program.

After administrative costs, those fees have generated $38 million since 2011 for the Arizona Health Department, Capitol Media Services reported.

Berberian also claims in the suit that the health department has refused to “reexamine” the fees, according to the news outlet.

A superior court judge from Maricopa County, Arizona, rejected similar arguments made in another suit about six months ago, reasoning that courts cannot order agencies to change their administration policies, Capitol Media reported.