[420 Girl]

Zip-ties to identify medical marijuana plants grown in Mendocino County went on sale for the first time at noon Wednesday. About 1 p.m., a man arrived at the sheriff's headquarters and paid $150 to buy the first six zip-ties sold by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

The voluntary zip-tie program for medical marijuana has been in the works since 2007, when the Sheriff's Office provided free identification ties.

"If law enforcement shows up and these are attached and everything else is in compliance," Sheriff Tom Allman said, "the plants will not be eradicated."

The blue zip ties with a serial number sell for $25 each; they will be available to veterans and Medi-Cal qualified medical patients for half price. Medical marijuana zip-ties will be available at Sheriff's Offices in Ukiah, Willits and Fort Bragg.

Because of needed approval from the county Board of Supervisors and finalization of the details, the program was not able to start before now.

"I wish we could have been selling these in April," Allman said.

To buy six zip-ties like those sold Wednesday afternoon, bring a California medical marijuana card or a physician's recommendation to the Sheriff's Office front desk.

Zip-ties or tags expire either at the end of the calendar year they were sold in or when a medical marijuana card expires, is taken away, or surrendered, according to the Sheriff's Office policy. Zip-ties cannot be transferred from person to person or to next of kin.

The policy also states that some or all zip-ties can be given to a designated care giver. Zip-ties are not good in other counties and cannot be replaced if they are lost or stolen, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Confidentiality has been one concern for the program and at one time it looked as though the county's Health and Human Services department would sell zip-ties.

The Sheriff's Office makes a copy of a medical marijuana card, but name, address, phone number, driver's license or medical condition are not asked.

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