Title:
Montana legislator: marijuana “most dangerous drug”
Message:
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Alcohol causes violent behavior and deaths by liver cirrhosis and alcohol poisoning. People die every day from overdoses of heroin, cocaine, meth, and even legal prescription drugs. Nonetheless, Rep. David Howard (R-Park City), Chairman of the Montana House Human Services Committee, thinks marijuana — a substance that has never caused an overdose fatality — is “the most dangerous drug there is.”
It’s no surprise then that Howard’s committee blocked four bills that would have overturned some of the too-restrictive provisions of SB 423 and made marijuana more accessible to patients in Montana. The bills would have, among other things, allowed providers to be compensated for providing marijuana to patients and removed a provision limiting providers to no more than three patients. The committee defeated all four bills by identical 12-4 votes.
Consequently, providing patients with doctor-recommended medicine could continue to be a volunteer-only business in Montana, severely limiting Montana patients’ access to marijuana. Fortunately, a judge has issued an injunction preventing the worst parts of SB 423 from taking effect. We’ll keep you posted on the status of that case, including if the state decides to appeal the ruling.
