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Bill seeks to get Montana in front of marijuana legalization

Jan 23, 2015 6:29 PM by Sanjay Talwani ([e-mail])

HELENA -- The question of legalized recreational marijuana could be on the ballot in Montana in 2016, and on Friday, the House Judiciary Committee of the Montana Legislature considered a bill that addresses the issue.

The medical marijuana initiative that was passed in 2004 led to rampant proliferation of providers and users. The law was then scaled back following 2011 legislation, but there's still conflict between state and federal law.

"And so, like an under-inflated New England Patriots ball, they've handed it off to the states," MT State Representative David Moore (R-Missoula) said of the federal government, which has issued statements on how states might administer their medical marijuana programs even as it classifies marijuana as a drug with no recognized medical value.


Instead, Moore would like the Legislature to step in and craft what legalization would look like.

House Bill 183 would prohibit an agency from making rules addressing non-medical marijuana. Moore indicated that under the law, only the Legislature would be able to make rules which could be needed on a range of topics from product standards to financial matters.

Jerry Williams of the Montana Police Protective Association spoke of officers with numerous questions at crime scenes because of the rights of medical users. "Law enforcement needs clear definition and clear policy," he said.

MT State Representative Theresa Manzella (R-Hamilton) got a close look at the industry when she served on a jury. "What I found most troubling was it seemed that there was no, or very limited, ability to manage the levels of THC in the product," she said.

Talyn Lang, a former board member of the Montana Medical Growers Association, warned against leaving the details to the lawmakers.

"They could get stuck in a quagmire and get lost in the legislative process. I think that agencies that deal directly with that, that have their boots on the ground, would be best-suited to be able to create the rules," he said.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.

http://www.kxlh.com/news/bill-seeks-to-get-montana-in-front-of-marijuana-legalization/