Montana’s Got New Major Restrictions for Medical Cannabis

Starting on August 31, everything changes for medical cannabis caregivers in Montana. A Helena, Montana judge recently rejected an advocacy group’s request to delay enforcement of restrictions on Montana’s medical cannabis industry. After August 31, medical cannabis providers will be barred from selling to more than three patients. The state Supreme Court earlier this year upheld that provision of a 2011 state law passed after the Montana Cannabis Industry Association sued to block it.

This poses an incredible threat to medical cannabis patients in one of the largest states in our country. State officials estimate that about 10,000 patients will be denied access to medical cannabis until the law can be changed. The estimated number of registered patients in the state is 12,251, according to Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. State-licensed dispensaries are not allowed in Montana, and although patients are allowed to cultivate four mature plants on their own, most patients are not cultivators, and rely on caregivers to provide their medicine.

However, there is still hope. According the Marijuana Policy Project, the Montana Secretary of State approved I-182 for the November ballot this year, giving Montana voters an opportunity to repair the state’s medical program. The measure would both re-establish patient access to medical cannabis providers and create a more regulated system. It would allow providers to serve more than three patients and would require both licensing and regular inspections from agency officials. The voter initiative is in response to a recent Montana Supreme Court decision that imposes the full weight of a 2011 law passed by state lawmakers in an effort to make the medical system as burdensome as possible—long referred to as repeal in disguise.