Montana

Montana beats back anti-cannabis backlash

Posted on July 20th, 2023 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

MontanaMontana this spring defeated the latest effort by anti-freedom forces to roll back legalization in Big Sky Country. And state policy has been tweaked to protect small operators, positioning this inland mountain realm to ride out the dilemmas impacting the cannabis industry on the West Coast.

Biden approaches trifecta of cannabis reform wish-list

Posted on December 5th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

BidenDespite a heretofore uninspiring record, Biden is poised to complete a trifecta of long-sought reforms of federal cannabis law: giving the industry access to financial services, expungement of convictions for possession, and allowing medical research.

Contrasts in cannabis equity: New York and Montana

Posted on March 28th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

leafThe Empire State and Big Sky Country, although seemingly on opposite sides of America’s political divide, now each face the opportunity—and the challenge—of crafting a post-prohibition cannabis economy on the principle of justice for all.

Expungement meets obstacles in Montana too

Posted on January 20th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

MontanaVoters in Montana approved a cannabis legalization initiative in 2020, which included language explicitly calling for expungement of past convictions. But the process has been meeting with some resistance from local courts—and plans for a special court to oversee expungement have been dropped.

Trulieve tainted by GOP sleaze

Posted on May 27th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

Shadow WatchThe sex scandal investigation of Florida's far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz interlocks with a controversy concerning favoritism in handing out medical marijuana licenses in the Sunshine State. And one of the key beneficiaries appears to be Trulieve, now one of the leading cannabis companies in the United States. The origins of the firm go back to a nexus of prominent state Republicans, including names currently making stomach-churning national headlines.

Cannabis, ecology and the California fires

CaliforniaThe year 2020's record-breaking wildfires in California and other Western states have compounded the grim impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—and have similarly been politicized. Thus far, the blow they have dealt to the burgeoning cannabis industry has been well weathered. But this will clearly pose a growing challenge in the years to come—as those parts of the country where legal cannabis cultivation is most advanced are also the most vulnerable to this devastating sign of ecological disequilibrium.

Montana's tortuous trail to legalization

Posted on November 8th, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

MontanaVoters in Montana passed a ballot measure mandating legalization of adult-use cannabis. But there was a pre-emptive attempt in the state legislature to repeal it before it even passed. Montana's road to legalization has been a long and twisted one, and there may be further political fights ahead. 

Voters in six states pass cannabis-related ballot measures

leafVoters in Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon and South Dakota passed statewide ballot measures favoring medical marijuana, adult-use cannabis legalization or hemp cultivation in the Nov. 3 elections.

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