Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jun 2011 Source: Missoulian (MT) Copyright: 2011 Missoulian Contact: http://www.missoulian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/720 Authors: Editorial Board: Publisher Stacey Mueller, Editor Sherry Devlin, Opinion Editor Tyler Christensen, Sales and Marketing Director Jim McGowan MEDICAL POT REFORM NECESSARY: VOTERS SHOULD NOT SUPPORT REPEAL OF NEW MARIJUANA BILL The new regulations concerning Montana's medical marijuana system are far from perfect. They are, however, a marked improvement on the medical marijuana law previously in place, which has been widely misused. When Montanans voted for the Medical Marijuana Act in 2006, most of us thought we were supporting the right of seriously, terminally ill patients to access medication that would relieve painful conditions and hopefully improve their quality of life. But in the two years since the Obama administration announced that the U.S. Justice Department would essentially ignore marijuana use by patients approved in states that have approved medical marijuana, it has ballooned into something much different. There are indeed legitimate patients who are now able to use medical marijuana without fear that state agents are going to break down the door. However, they are overshadowed by the large number of medical marijuana card-holders with minimal medical issues and profiteers who have sprung up to take financial advantage of the lax rules. Indeed, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services was inundated with so-called "green card" applications. At last count, more than 30,600 such cards had been issued. Does anyone honestly believe that 1 in 33 Montanans has a debilitating illness? Unfortunately, if every one of these card-holders supports the referendum now being circulated, the new regulations will be well on their way to being repealed. And if roughly 50,000 signatures can be collected, Senate Bill 423 will be canceled immediately. SB423 is the bill sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, that survived the 2011 legislative session to eventually land on the Governor's desk, although it became law without the Governor's signature. It would, among other things, more narrowly define who can use and provide medical marijuana, create a registry for caregivers and other medical marijuana providers, and require legislative monitoring. SB423 will take effect on July 1 - unless opponents of the bill are successful in their bid to round up signatures from at least 15 percent of the registered voters in a majority of legislative districts. If they manage to collect only 5 percent of the signatures in 34 legislative districts, the referendum will be put to a statewide vote in 2012. Given the apparent numbers of people who support marijuana use - medical or not - this second scenario seems all but certain. Montanans should expect to see a referendum to repeal SB423 on the 2012 ballot. But Montana voters should not support this effort at repealing the new reforms - not with our votes and not with our signatures. If anything, more reforms are needed; but the next legislative session is almost two years away. We need better medical marijuana regulations than what we have right now. And we need them in place right now. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.