DrugSense

DrugSense

DrugSense

DrugSense

Ravalli Republic, 02 Nov 2012 – I would like to go on record as strongly disagreeing with Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman’s advice to local residents to vote "yes" on I-124, the 2012 ballot measure addressing the Montana Medical Marijuana program because, in Hoffman’s words, "This legislation translates to safer communities, a true benefit to all." Hoffman’s logic is lacking in many ways. If, in fact, there have been fewer thefts, burglaries, serious assaults and homicides (have there been any homicides ever?) involving the marijuana "industry" in Ravalli County in the past 15 months since parts of Senate Bill 423 have been enacted, it’s only because there isn’t much of an industry left! Specifically, we have put all the legitimate providers out of business leaving the market wide open to the Mexican cartels, the black market and gangs.

Ravalli Republic, 02 Nov 2012 – As Montanans, although our intentions were good, we were fooled by marijuana advocates who got free rein and basically legalized marijuana in Montana. Fortunately, the Legislature came to our rescue and placed tight restrictions on the use of marijuana.

The Billings Gazette, 01 Nov 2012 – SB-423, the Montana Legislature’s attempt to prohibit medical marijuana, has had a devastating effect on patients. Greg was a finish carpenter until he developed a seizure disorder that made it dangerous for him to handle a saw. His doctors tried to find the right medication, but nothing worked. When I met him, he was in his late 50s, working as a swamper in a bar, seizing regularly, and drinking heavily.

The Billings Gazette, 30 Oct 2012 – Cancer has been trying to kill me for a while now, which is why I hope Montanans will vote "no" on this year’s medical marijuana ballot issue. Let me explain. I was diagnosed with lung cancer six years ago. The treatments I went through were horrendous, the pain I experience is excruciating, and the various modern medications I am given cause hideous nightmares. Let me tell you, cancer is a cruel way for a person’s life to come to an end.

The Billings Gazette, 30 Oct 2012 – In response to public outcry over the unregulated, out-of-control medical marijuana industry, the Montana Legislature passed Senate Bill 423. After months of deliberation and thousands of testimonies from each side, this bill passed with the support of both Republicans and Democrats. Even though the bill is not in full effect yet, it has put some very needed and welcomed sideboards on this rapidly growing industry. Since its passing, the number of registered medical marijuana users has dropped from 30,000 to 8,849, the number of providers has dropped from 4,800 to 395, and many of the storefronts are disappearing. With the law imposing additional requirements for minors to obtain cards, Montana now has only two cards holders under the age of 18.

The Billings Gazette, 28 Oct 2012 – HELENA – As Chris Williams waited for a 12-member jury to decide his fate last month on eight marijuana-related charges, he was surprisingly calm for a man who knew he could be jailed for 85 years. He mentioned that he had taken a nap and was reading a book, "Ethics for a New Millennium" by the Dalai Lama. "I was almost finished with it, but continued to reread some of the most enlightening chapters," Williams wrote in a letter from his cell at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby. "The study of philosophy and religion has always interested me, even though I am not the most educated in either subject."