Helena Independent Record, 11 Oct 2010 – Medical marijuana patients, caregivers and supporters from around the state spent Sunday in Helena asking questions and listening to panel discussions about the medicinal plant that’s generated significant interest since voter approval in 2004. They’ll continue today for the second day of the Montana Medical Growers Association annual meeting and symposium at the Red Lion Colonial Hotel. The event is free and open to the public and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Great Falls Tribune, 07 Oct 2010 – Earlier this year, when dangerous fugitives escaped from a prison in Arizona and were spotted near East Glacier Park, Randy Martinez, who works in the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Missoula, called a friend who works for Southern Alberta’s Integrated Fugitive Apprehension Unit. That phone call would not have been placed a decade ago. In fact, federal law enforcement bureaucracy required communication only through official channels.

The Billings Gazette, 08 Oct 2010 – As I paged through the Montana Legislature voter guide in Sunday’s Gazette, I read with interest the positions of our HD48 candidates. There are several differences between the candidates on the issues. On one important issue, the candidates are 180 degrees apart. That issue is the Medical Marijuana Act. Doug Kary, the Republican candidate, supports a statewide ballot initiative to repeal the Medical Marijuana Act. His opponent, Wanda Grinde, the incumbent Democrat, supports the Legislature making revisions to the existing Medical Marijuana Act.

Helena Independent Record, 08 Oct 2010 – Medical marijuana growers from throughout Montana will gather in Helena Sunday and Monday for their first organized symposium since their association formed about a year ago. The free event is not just for members of the Montana Medical Growers Association, but also for physicians, lawmakers and members of the general public who are curious about the issues surrounding medical marijuana, notes Jim Gingery, the group’s executive director. The symposium will include panel discussions on the science surrounding cannabis, legal considerations, alternative ways to medicate with marijuana, how to operate a small business, and how to communicate with the public, the press and law enforcement.

The Daily Inter Lake, 04 Oct 2010 – All three candidates seeking the open House District 3 seat agree that the state’s medical marijuana law may need some adjusting. Democrat Zac Perry, Republican Jerry O’Neil and independent candidate Shawn Guymon all say that since Montana voters approved a plan to allow medical marijuana to be used in the state, it should remain legal.

Great Falls Tribune, 01 Oct 2010 – The second Cascade County medical marijuana suit in as many days was taken under advisement Thursday as a new issue — whether a caregiver can also be a patient — will be heard in six weeks. Leon Tirums, a resident of Cascade and a state-licensed medical marijuana caregiver, filed a suit against the town after it revoked his business license in June.

Missoulian, 01 Oct 2010 – Cannabis (marijuana) has gone through more than enough scientific processes, including globally, to be approved as medicine. What "doesn’t make any sense" ("White House drug policy adviser questions Montana’s medical marijuana law," Sept. 25) is how blatantly the U.S. government uses lies, half-truths and propaganda to prohibit sick citizens from having access to the relatively safe, God-given plant. It would be biblically correct for the federal government to allow sick citizens to use cannabis since God indicates He created all the seed-bearing, plants saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And, "But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (see 1 John 3:17).

Missoulian, 01 Oct 2010 – When I heard about the news story questioning the validity of the Meth Project, I was offended ("Research discounts anti-meth ad project," Sept. 22). I have not only been a part of the Montana Meth Project, but also have someone close to me who used to be a meth addict. When he heard about my involvement in the project he told me he was very proud of me and that if he had someone to teach him the consequences of meth use, he probably wouldn’t have touched the drug.

The Daily Inter Lake, 30 Sep 2010 – On the surface, it’s an idea that might appear to have merit. The city of Kalispell is making plans to institute a business licensing system — a registry that would include information vital during an emergency, such as contact names and phone numbers and a way to enter the building.

Great Falls Tribune, 30 Sep 2010 – Three ailing Great Falls men testified in state District Court on Wednesday that a City Commission action in June prevented them from obtaining medical marijuana. Two testified from wheelchairs, and the third man used a cane.