Medical pot fee lowered to $15 a year in Colorado

The annual fee for a medical marijuana patient in Colorado is dropping by more than half, to $15 a year.

The state health board voted 7-1 Wednesday to lower fees for the estimated 112,000 people in Colorado with medical permission to use marijuana.

The annual fees collected by the state health department are meant to cover only the cost of maintaining the registry. When the health department collects excess money, managers must lower fess.

Current fees are $35 a year. That’s a drop from $90 a year charged before 2011. A state audit report delivered earlier this year faulted the health department for keeping excess marijuana patient fees in reserve.

Recreational pot sales begin Jan. 1 in Colorado.