In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act.  The Act made the medical use of marijuana legal in California.   Senate Bill 420 (SB 420) was passed in 2002 to assist law enforcement in identifying Californians who were protected by Proposition 215 and to provide patients and their caregivers with a form of identification that would protect them against arrest and prosecution.

The Medical Marijuana Program (MMP) was established by the California Department of Health Services in 2004 to facilitate the registration of qualified patients and their caregivers, through a statewide identification system.  Participation in the program is voluntary for patients and the patient’s primary caregiver.  Qualified patients and their caregivers may apply for and be issued an identification card through their county of residence.  This card can be used to verify that a patient has authorization to possess, grow, transport and/or use medical marijuana in California, and that a caregiver has authorization to possess, grow, and transport medical marijuana in California.

The Sacramento County Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC) Program provides patients with the State medical marijuana identification card.  The card can assist law enforcement officials to know if the individual using marijuana meets the requirements of the Compassionate Use Act.

Participation in the MMIC Program is voluntary.  Those persons choosing not to take advantage of the MMIC Program can still have all the protections described in Proposition 215.