Montana Medical Marijuana Bill Will Require Stricter Regulations

May 5, 2011 10:55 am Topics: Medical marijuana

After much debate and several revisions, Montana legislators approved a bill (SB 423) that would revise the state’s medical marijuana law, implementing restrictions aimed to reduce the number of registered medical marijuana users. Governor Brian Schweitzer announced that he will allow the bill to become law without his signature. According to the Billings Gazette, the number of registered users in the state has climbed from 4,000 in September 2009 to 30,000 users, and the demand for medical marijuana is now met by about 5,000 registered caregivers across the state.
The new law would change the procedure for becoming a registered user and obtaining the drug, and would require that medical marijuana producers provide the product to registered users at no charge, on compassionate grounds, as reported by Forbes.com. While some legislators argue that the new law will limit access to the drug for patients, supporters see the need to decrease the number of users per provider. In early March 2011, federal agents executed 26 search warrants as part of a long-term investigation into whether entities purporting to be medical marijuana providers in compliance with the state’s laws were involved in the illegal trafficking of marijuana. United States Attorney for Montana, Michael Cotter issued a news release stating that “Individuals with illnesses who are in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law [were] not the focus of this investigation.”