Medical Marijuana In Montana

[Era Might]

[u]"Marijuana Dispensaries Get The Boot In Montana" [/u]

http://blog.420petition.com/patient-rights/marijuana-dispensaries-get-the-boot-in-montana/

[quote]DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils. Sounds like a traveling apothecary business. Picture the horse-drawn wooden carriage doubling as a billboard. Greatest Miracle Cure Known to Man or Beast. Live as Long as Methuselah. Blast Goldmines with your Bare Hands. Wrestle a Bear Why Not!

But DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils was actually one of Montana’s medical marijuana dispensaries . It was billed on its website as “Missoula’s #1 source for Medicinal Marijuana products and information!” But you won’t get medical marijuana at DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils. Not anymore.

“Unfortunately the State of Montana changed their law and all dispensaries must be vacated by the first of July, 2011” said Michael Moore, Founder and General Managing Partner of DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils. “We are currently awaiting the announcement by the Feds as to their position on this issue before reopening in a different state.”

Moore is referring to SB423, a state Senate bill that toughens Montana’s medical marijuana laws. According to the bill, providers can no longer “accept anything of value, including monetary remuneration, for any services or products provided to a registered [medical marijuana] cardholder.” State Senator Jeff Essmann (R), who is sponsoring the bill, explains in an editorial for the Billings Gazette that “SB423 dismantles the ‘Montana cannabis industry’ but preserves reasonable access for legitimate [medical marijuana] cardholders.”

...

DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils, a family-owned medical marijuana dispensary in Montana, is just one of the businesses that Senator Essmann is dismantling. Founder Michael Moore opened the dispensary in November 2010, choosing Missoula over Spokane, Washington because Montana’s laws seemed more secure and clearer on patients’ rights and the use of dispensaries. Moore says that his business went out of its way to comply with local laws and invest long-term in Montana. “We never even dreamed at that point of a repeal. We would have just waited for Washington to figure things out. As it is, we never were able to cross the threshold of return on investment. We lost our asses in Montana.”

Dr. Alfonso DiNenno, Moore’s grandfather, is the first image you see on the DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils website. Dr. DiNenno is a throwback to another millennium. He grew marijuana in the foothills of Sicily, and instead of making rope or fiber, put marijuana toward innovative medicinal use. “My grandfather was known for miles around,” says Moore. “Because there was no stigma attached at that time, nobody was afraid to seek treatment or refer their family or friends. It is interesting that most folks that stand firm against marijuana use have never used it, let alone tried to use it for medicinal purposes.”

...

Back in 2010, in an editorial drumming up election support for Montana Republicans, Senator Jeff Essmann blasted a “job killing” tax proposal that would “drive good-paying jobs from the state and encourage the exodus of our sons and daughters.” He denounced “heavy handed, top down, big government,” and assured voters that Montana Republicans would push for “a pro-job environment where the individual can thrive.” But where is Senator Essmann’s pro-job, small government rhetoric when it comes to Montana’s medical marijuana industry? In his recent editorial defending SB423, Senator Essmann villainizes his opposition as “the millionaire marijuana growers” in a “very profitable business.” He concludes with a wag of his finger, saying that he “must remind everyone, [marijuana] remains illegal to possess and distribute under federal law.” During elections, Senator Essmann was the great Defender of the Individual and Business against “heavy handed, top down, big government.” Now, he is the great Reminder of Federal Law.

According to Moore, “The problem right now is that Pharmas have lobbyists, but nobody speaks for the medical marijuana industry from the inside. …We have no lobbyists, so it’s hard to get support from big business. Kids are dropping dead every day from Pharmas but I don’t see these same saviors proposing bills to put them out of business or prohibit them from making profits. …Pharmas are a joke, but they have money and money buys lobbyists and lobbyists buy protection from light.” Despite the developments in Montana, Moore still hopes to become a lobbyist for the medical marijuana industry. “Certainly I have seen tremendous strides in my lifetime and I sincerely believe that we will see a Federal relaxation before I expire, but Montana has not helped the cause one bit.”

There are still last-ditch efforts to halt SB423, but Moore is not holding out any hope. “I do not believe that the ‘public’ even really knows about the bill, let alone supports it. Montana nevertheless has done a huge disservice to the industry. Through their own fault they left loop-holes in the law that allowed certain aspects to be exploited, just like anything does including Pharma use. But then their answer was that since the dog didn’t learn to sit on its own, we better shoot it. It was the lack of proper oversight and regulation that caused any public perception issues in the first place. Now Montana will garner press for kicking the medical marijuana industry down the stairs, but the people had nothing to do with that. A handful of GOP misfits with political advantage took it upon themselves to shoot the dog. I find it disgusting what they did and hope that they will ultimately pay the political price for doing so. I am also disappointed in the Governor.”

Moore says that “it was extremely difficult both fiscally and emotionally to close the store in Montana. The worst part was notifying the patients that had not been keeping abreast of the new law.” He hopes to re-open DiNenno’s Herbs & Oils in a new state, but for the time being he wants to wait and see what the federal government has to say.

Clearly, the medical marijuana movement is about more than just legalization. It is part of a broader debate about states’ rights vs. federal rights, and individual rights vs. states’ rights. It is also about reclaiming healthcare as a communal and personal activity. Alfonso DiNenno may have been among the very first marijuana doctors, but he was also a paisan, not merely a professional. DiNenno’s Herbs and Oils tried to carry on its namesake’s traditional approach to healthcare. If Senator Essmann wants to dismantle industry, perhaps he should look to the monopoly the professionalized medical industry has on healthcare. Breaking that monopoly would help businesses like DiNenno’s Herbs and Oils open rather than close.

Meanwhile, Senator Essmann sponsors the job killing SB423.[/quote]

Edited June 7, 2011 by Era Might

[Lil Red]

give me a break. job killing? lulz. shut them down, i say.

[Lil Red]

one of the papers sent a reporter to get a Medical Marijuana (MM) card. it took him 6 days, got it over the internet, and not once seeing a doctor. yeah, boohoo, poor MM patients. the state of Montana issued more MM cards than the state of California has/had. yeah, the law was secure alright - secure for fraud.

[dUSt]

Legalize!

[MissScripture]

I didn't know Montana had medical marijuana, but that explains a lot. (Not bashing on all Montanans, or anything, just saying I now understand the thought processes of some people I knew from Montana regarding marijuana).

[Lil Red]

when the law (or whatever it's called) was proposed, most people believed that it would be used mainly for those who actually needed it for a medical reason - like controlling seizures, etc.

instead it turned into a free-for-all, come one-come all problem, with 'dispensaries' sprouting up on every corner (kinda like casinos and bars) with barely concealed signs (Green Cross, one 'dispensary' was called) with huge marijuana leaves emblazoned on them.

i think a lot of people living in Montana are disillusioned with how MM played out here - we were sold a lie (gee, imagine that).

[Lil Red]

and if you want more information, other than someone's blog post where they attack a state senator (and i've seen bloggers posting his home address to incite people to 'help' him change his mind), here's the articles from the Missoula newspaper on MM:
http://missoulian.com/search/topic/?k=%22medical%20marijuana%22&d1=&d2=&s=start_time&sd=desc&l=50&f=html&sForm=false&sHeading=Medical%20Marijuana

[Ice_nine]

[quote name='dUSt' timestamp='1307484061' post='2250985']
Legalize!
[/quote]

I don't know if you're only being facetious, but if not, I heartily agree.

[Lil Red]

oh yeah, that's a great idea. let's add to the number of impaired drivers already on the roads

[Era Might]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1307485613' post='2250994']
when the law (or whatever it's called) was proposed, most people believed that it would be used mainly for those who actually needed it for a medical reason - like controlling seizures, etc.

instead it turned into a free-for-all, come one-come all problem, with 'dispensaries' sprouting up on every corner (kinda like casinos and bars) with barely concealed signs (Green Cross, one 'dispensary' was called) with huge marijuana leaves emblazoned on them.

i think a lot of people living in Montana are disillusioned with how MM played out here - we were sold a lie (gee, imagine that).
[/quote]
That's capitalism at work. Hospitals are big business. Pharmacy companies are big business. Medical marijuana dispensaries are small business (for now), and Montana is killing a budding industry (no pun intended - haha!). Alcohol is already promoted all over TV and corner stores. Having a medical marijuana dispensary in plain sight is no different (and at least with marijuana you need doctor's approval to go into the dispensary). The dispensary owner in the article I linked to agrees that there had to be some tighter regulations in Montana. But SB423 is completely killing the medical marijuana industry in Montana. SB423 is killing jobs (and not just jobs, but a young, growing industry).

Edited June 7, 2011 by Era Might

[Guest]

[quote name='dUSt' timestamp='1307484061' post='2250985']
Legalize!
[/quote]
What this great catholic said !

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Era Might' timestamp='1307487296' post='2251028']
That's capitalism at work. Hospitals are big business. Pharmacy companies are big business. Medical marijuana dispensaries are small business (for now), and Montana is killing a budding industry (no pun intended - haha!). [/quote]
your point? hospitals have to operate within the law. pharmacy companies operate within the law. if an industry doesn't comply with the law, they should be penalized accordingly.

[quote name='Era Might' timestamp='1307487296' post='2251028']Alcohol is already promoted all over TV and corner stores. Having a marijuana dispensary in plain sight is no different (and at least with marijuana you need doctor's approval to go into the dispensary). [/quote]
there is a difference with liquor stores/bar signage here. there's not a big 40 emblazoned on bars' signs - and the liquor stores (state run) can't (or don't?) have anything on them other than "Liquor Store."

and a doctor's approval? that's a freakin' joke. like i said in my first post:
one of the papers sent a reporter to get a Medical Marijuana (MM) card. it took him 6 days, got it over the internet, and not once seeing a doctor. yeah, boohoo, poor MM patients. the state of Montana issued more MM cards than the state of California has/had. yeah, the law was secure alright - secure for fraud.

the fraud is rampant - not a small problem, but a big problem. the papers (and blogs) like to take one person who maybe should legitimately have a MM card and extrapolate that to everyone who has a card is worthy of having a card. that's baloney. it's like when Dems (or Repubs) bring a child to the forefront and say, "By cutting x, y, z program you are depriving children like this of having a good future." It's total sentimental baloney.

[quote name='Era Might' timestamp='1307487296' post='2251028']The guy in the article I linked to agrees that there had to be some tighter regulations in Montana. But SB423 is completely killing the medical marijuana industry in Montana.[/quote]
boohoo. i don't care. there [b]should[/b] be tighter regulations and i'm glad that this law is going into effect.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1307488150' post='2251040']
your point? hospitals have to operate within the law. pharmacy companies operate within the law. if an industry doesn't comply with the law, they should be penalized accordingly.[/quote]
The government doesn't "penalize" hospitals by dismantling the hospital industry. The government doesn't "penalize" schools by dismantling the schooling industry. The government doesn't "penalize" the military by dismantling the military industry. And there would be a loud roar if it did dismantle any of those industries. But with SB423 the Montana state government is dismantling an industry (without a vote by the people of Montana). But the medical marijuana industry does not have the economic and social clout that those other industries have, so it's easy to dismantle.

[quote]there is a difference with liquor stores/bar signage here. there's not a big 40 emblazoned on bars' signs - and the liquor stores (state run) can't (or don't?) have anything on them other than "Liquor Store."[/quote]
I don't know about in Montana, but corner stores around the country have all kinds of alcohol advertising, from posters with scantily clad women to flashy Budweiser signs.

[quote]and a doctor's approval? that's a freakin' joke. like i said in my first post:
one of the papers sent a reporter to get a Medical Marijuana (MM) card. it took him 6 days, got it over the internet, and not once seeing a doctor. yeah, boohoo, poor MM patients. the state of Montana issued more MM cards than the state of California has/had. yeah, the law was secure alright - secure for fraud.[/quote]
So basically the industry has to be dismantled because the government doesn't like people smoking marijuana. What business is that of the government?

But even granting your point, you don't have to dismantle an industry to make tighter restrictions. I think SB423 says that doctors who prescribe more than 25 patients will now get investigated by a medical board. That's an example of a measure that could have been passed without dismantling the entire industry.

[quote]the fraud is rampant - not a small problem, but a big problem. the papers (and blogs) like to take one person who maybe should legitimately have a MM card and extrapolate that to everyone who has a card is worthy of having a card. that's baloney. it's like when Dems (or Repubs) bring a child to the forefront and say, "By cutting x, y, z program you are depriving children like this of having a good future." It's total sentimental baloney.[/quote]
I think the point of the article is that this is not just about medical marijuana. It's about states' rights, federal rights, personal rights, the nature of healthcare, and whether the government has any business telling people what to do in a matter like this. Senator Jeff Essmann talks about the plague of "big government." SB423 a perfect example of it.

[quote]boohoo. i don't care. there [b]should[/b] be tighter regulations and i'm glad that this law is going into effect.
[/quote]
Big government wins in the short term. But it will lose in the long run (if it doesn't kill the country first).

Edited June 7, 2011 by Era Might

[ParadiseFound]

[quote name='dUSt' timestamp='1307484061' post='2250985']
Legalize!
[/quote]
I'm with you one hundred percent. I'd have really thought that the US would have learned from the prohibition period that making a substance illegal [i]does not help a thing[/i].

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1307486805' post='2251014']
oh yeah, that's a great idea. let's add to the number of impaired drivers already on the roads
[/quote]
That's a bit sexist, isn't it?

...I'll get my coat.

[Amppax]

Why do we have to play this bs game? Either marijuana is legal or its not, none of this medicinal bs. I've heard from a number of sources that the california system has tons of fraud too, you really just need to say you have "chronic pain" and you can get a card. If they want to legalize it, legalize it and treat it the same as cigarettes, or alcohol. Done.

Edited June 7, 2011 by Amppax