Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Ravalli Republic (Hamilton, MT)
Copyright: 2014 Ravalli Republic
Contact:  http://www.ravallirepublic.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3254
Author: Charles S. Johnson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/props.htm (Ballot Initiatives)

BAN ON ALL MARIJUANA PROPOSED FOR MONTANA BALLOT

HELENA - A Billings businessman has proposed an initiative for the 
November 2014 ballot that effectively would ban the possession, use, 
cultivation, trafficking and transportation of marijuana in Montana.

Steve Zabawa submitted the measure this week to Secretary of State 
Linda McCulloch's office.

If approved, it would change state law to say that any drug listed on 
Schedule 1 of the Federal Controlled Substances Act "may not be 
legally possessed, received, transferred, manufactured, cultivated, 
trafficked, transported or used in Montana."

Marijuana is listed on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.

"The initiative would eliminate the current disparity between federal 
law and state law with respect to the legal status of the possession 
and use of marijuana," the proposed ballot measure said.

Montanans voted in 2004 for an initiative to legalize marijuana for 
medical purposes. The number of people legally using medical 
marijuana remained fairly low until mid-2009. Then the number of 
people with medical marijuana cards in the state skyrocketed from 
about 3,000 to more than 30,000 over the next two years.

The Legislature in 2011 passed a law that greatly restricted access 
to medical marijuana. The number of cardholders registered with the 
state was at 8,307 on March 31.

Zabawa, who owns a car dealership in Billings, said Friday that 
initiative backers are trying to add clarity to Montana law.

"If it's an illegal drug by the federal government, it should be 
illegal in Montana," he said, adding, "The federal government trumps 
the state, so why do we want to put our citizens in jeopardy."

The problem with the current law, he said, is that federal law 
enforcement officials came into Montana in 2011 and "hurt a lot of 
people who thought they were doing nothing wrong."

He was referring to the federal raids at about two-dozen marijuana 
growing and selling operations around the state on the same day.

"When the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) says it's safe, 
then it can be sold through our pharmacies with doctors who are 
trained on the legal drug to prescribe the right dosage amount for 
the right amount of time," Zabawa said. "This protects all Montanans."

In response, Chris Lindsey of Missoula, spokesman for Montana NORML 
and legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said, 
"Marijuana prohibition has been just as ineffective, inefficient and 
problematic as alcohol prohibition. It's a colossal failure. And 
Steve apparently wants to be the champion of that failure."

Lindsey added, "Marijuana is clearly safer than alcohol. If he wants 
to protect anybody, he should try to ban alcohol."

A better solution, Lindsey said, would be to tax and regulate 
marijuana, as Colorado has done and realized a windfall.

To qualify for the November ballot, backers of the initiative must 
get the signatures of at least 24,175 registered voters, including 5 
percent of the voters in 34 of the state House districts. The 
deadline for turning in signatures is June 20.

"We feel we can get this handled," Zabawa said. "We already have a 
committee set up."

Zabawa was active in a group of Billings parents who backed an effort 
by House Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, in 2011 to repeal the 
medical marijuana law that passed by initiative. The measure passed 
both houses, but was vetoed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom