The use of medical marijuana may come to an end in the state of Montana. The state has had a medical marijuana law in action for the past six years and government officials are now feeling “duped” by the citizens. House speaker Mike Milbum says “the medical use had been a pretext for encouraging recreational use and creating a path to full legalization and fears gang drug wars in Montana’s cities and debilitation of its youth.” Milbum feels it’s time to shut everything down and that marijuana use has gone way too far. In 2009, the federal Department of Justice stated that medical marijuana would not be a law enforcement priority. This is the same time that the use of medical marijuana exploded; the number of patients has quadrupled to more than 27,000 and millions have been invested in grower businesses and retail supplier shops.
The main reason for the repeal may be the major changes in Montana’s politics. Republicans surged from a 50-50 tie in the House before last November’s election to a 68-32 majority now. And although party line positions have defined the issue in Montana, with Republicans mostly lined up in favor of restriction or repeal, there is widespread agreement among legislators and residents that medical marijuana has become something very different than it was originally envisioned to be.
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