Sheriff Linder did a grave injustice to few thousand Billings voters who will be looking to vote against him in his upcoming election in 2014. He allowed or encouraged the feds to raid medical marijuana providers. They were fully in compliance with the new laws. Hundreds of medical marijuana patients were affected. There are multiple-sclerosis patients who have found strains to help them, now worried. There are cancer patients who have lost tinctures which were helping them deal with chemotherapy. The sheriff is the chief elected law enforcement officer of our county, but did not defend state authorized businesses. He's looking for a slice of the asset forfeiture pie to buy new laptops. There is a clear Supreme Court ruling, Printz v. United States. This says for local sheriffs "the Federal Government may not compel the States to enact or administer a federal regulatory program." So standing behind the Controlled Substances Act is preposterous. Josh Daniels Billings [end]
The prohibitionist model is one of blind ignorance, abject failure and economic collapse. Its underlying ideology is one of fear, envy, greed and hate. Never have so many been endangered and impoverished by so few, so quickly! Do you wish to greatly reduce, even almost eliminate the market in illegal narcotics? Then please help us to dismantle prohibition enabling us to legalize, regulate and tax! Do you wish to bring about an enormous reduction in the presence and influence of organized crime? Then please help us to dismantle prohibition enabling us to legalize, regulate and tax! [continues 72 words]
The governor should veto SB 423. He says "So I will hold my nose and allow this to be law until the Legislature gets back to session (in 2013)." As a patient with MS, I can't wear a nose plug until then. This is made to be un-workable and destructive for the patients. There is no back up if your garden has pests or problems. Say you spent two months and $500 on equipment. You lose your plants. Now under the rules of SB423, you lose the $500 and pray someone will give you your medicine for free. Now once you've gotten a provider, you can't start over to grow your own or go without your medicine for three months. Your provider can't even give you transplants. Or seeds, for that matter. [continues 176 words]
Regarding SB423 to regulate Cannabis: What will this cost? Where is the fiscal note? How do the health insurance companies feel about this? How much is this going to cost Medicare/Medicaid in the first year? Is this any way to have fiscal discipline? If Medicaid will cost $80 million for the next two years, what will these tests add? What will happen to thousands of the newly unemployed? Will these business owners be able to afford mortgages? Where will the several million in grow equipment go? Can law enforcement afford to lose focus on the meth epidemic, which is a true danger to our youth? [continues 162 words]
To repeal medical marijuana now after three sessions of wasted time is just wrong. There have been so many lies told by those for repealing it. According to Montana state statistics, since medical marijuana passed in 2004 to 2009, Montana's crime index has declined 15.8 percent, the fewest people died in auto fatalities, teenage marijuana use dropped 28.7 percent, gross domestic product outpaced national averages, workplace injuries declined, workplace fatalities dropped, overall marijuana use fell, and fewer people attended rehab with marijuana as their "primary substance." There is $100 million for schools and elderly health care. To miss that opportunity is immoral at best. Josh Daniels Billings [end]
