Title:
Montana Legislature attacks democracy, but the people fight back!
Message:
Voters will have a chance to overturn S.B.
423 on the 2012 ballot
As we all know, S.B. 423, “repeal in
disguise,” promised to regulate but instead flouted voters’ wishes and cruelly
and arbitrarily gutted Montana’s medical marijuana program, shuttering most
providers and reducing the number of patients. By mid-August, the number of
patients had dropped by 10% and only
1% of medical marijuana providers remained in business, leaving patients
without access to medicine.
However, Montanans have fought back. First,
the Montana Cannabis Industry Association got a judge to temporarily block
implementation of part of the law. Even more excitingly, Patients for Reform — Not Repeal
successfully collected enough signatures to put a referendum to overturn S.B.
423 on the November 2012 ballot! The Secretary of State confirmed that the
referendum had already exceeded
the minimum signature requirements, and organizers announced they collected
more than 46,000 signatures. Kudos to the petitioners; we will keep you
updated!
Sadly, another legislative move overturning
the will of the people, H.B. 391, went
into effect on Saturday. It is intended to overturn Missoula County’s
Initiative 2, which made marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement
priority. As a result, local initiatives may not de-prioritize the enforcement
of state law. Missoula County Attorney Fred
Van Valkenburg, who pushed for the bill, says he will move
forward with prosecution of marijuana misdemeanors.
