Flathead County District Judge Stewart Stadler has ruled that the Montana Medical Marijuana Act does not allow for transactions of marijuana between caregivers. Thursday's ruling in the civil lawsuit brought against Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan has implications for the criminal cases against two men who were charged with felonies after a February traffic stop that yielded three pounds of marijuana. Stadler granted Corrigan's motion for summary judgment, saying that the Montana Medical Marijuana Act clearly states that caregivers may provide marijuana only to "qualifying patients." [continues 290 words]
A crowd of people lined the streets near the Whitefish Performing Arts Center on Thursday to urge Gov. Brian Schweitzer to stop a bill that is expected to effectively bring an end to the state's medical marijuana industry. With T-shirts and placards that read, "Veto 423," the crowd swelled to more than 200 people of all ages at one point just before Schweitzer was scheduled to speak at a forum. "I'm not even a medical marijuana user. I think it's just a matter of personal liberty," Whitefish resident Josh King said. "There were hundreds of jobs in this state that were built on this law." [continues 399 words]
A total of 26 criminal search warrants were executed Monday at medical marijuana operations across Montana -- including raids in Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Kalispell and Olney -- along with warrants aimed at seizing up to $4 million from lending institutions. No charges have been filed, but owners of the businesses raided on Monday say marijuana plants, computers and cell phones were seized, and in some instances, bank accounts were frozen. Michael Cotter, U.S. District Attorney for Montana, announced the raids in a Tuesday press release. [continues 575 words]
Federal agents searched several medical marijuana businesses in the Flathead Valley on Monday, the same day similar raids were carried out in several Montana cities. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry confirmed that the lead agency in local searches was Homeland Security Investigations, formerly known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriff's deputies assisted in the searches. One of the searches was conducted at a building occupied by Four Seasons Gardening and Good Medicine Providers on Jellison Road in the Columbia Falls area. [continues 191 words]
Gov. Brian Schweitzer is confident there will be changes to Montana's medical marijuana law, that Montana's agreement with British Columbia over mining in the Canadian Flathead will produce the expected results and that the state will endure its fiscal challenges. Those were just a few of the topics Schweitzer covered in a visit with the Inter Lake editorial board Thursday. On his way back from meeting with British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell in Vancouver, Schweitzer was in the Flathead to promote the upcoming Western Governors' Association conference in Whitefish. [continues 659 words]
WASHINGTON - What's behind Washington's huge, expensive military intervention to combat drugs in Colombia? Last week, the actions of the House Republican leadership suggested one possible answer: procurement. The Republican Congress, it appears, wants to help American defense firms sell helicopters for use in Colombia - and to obtain the prices they want for these copters. This is not all that unusual. In fact, it's a classic example of how Congress sometimes works harder for private defense contractors than for taxpayers. [continues 746 words]
What's behind Washington's huge, expensive military intervention to combat drugs in Colombia? Recently, the actions of the House Republican leadership suggested one possible answer: procurement. Congress, it appears, wants to help American defense firms sell helicopters for use in Colombia -- and to obtain the prices they want for these copters. This is not all that unusual. In fact, it's a classic example of how Congress sometimes works harder for private defense contractors than for taxpayers. Last summer, the Clinton administration and Congress approved the $1.3 billion Plan Colombia, a package of aid (most of it military) designed to bolster the Bogota government's efforts to eradicate drugs and to combat traffickers. [continues 533 words]
WASHINGTON--What's behind Washington's huge, expensive military intervention to combat drugs in Colombia? Last week, the actions of the House Republican leadership suggested one possible answer: procurement. The Republican Congress, it appears, wants to help American defense firms sell helicopters for use in Colombia--and to obtain the prices they want for these copters. This is not all that unusual. In fact, it's a classic example of how Congress sometimes works harder for private defense contractors than for taxpayers. [continues 746 words]
