Global Ganja Report

The lower house of Montana's legislature on Feb. 21 voted up the repeal of the state's medical cannabis law. The repeal bill now goes to the senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to work on a new bill to put in place a licensing and regulatory system for the medical cannabis industry, paid for by new licensing fees.

Christopher Bartkowicz of suburban Denver was sentenced to five years in federal prison Jan. 28 after pleading guilty to three cannabis-related charges—despite his claim to protection under Colorado's medical marijuana law. Federal agents raided Bartkowicz's Highlands Ranch home last February and seized hundreds of plants growing in his basement. If he had gone to trial, Bartkowicz could have faced a life term because of a previous drug conviction. His release will be followed by eight years of supervision.

On Jan. 21, more than 100 people came out to Montana's capitol building in Helena for hearings on on what the state's new medicinal cannabis policy should look like. Ironically, a bill pending in the state house is opposed by cannabis advocates as well as those who want to repeal the 2004 state ballot initiative that legalized medical use.

On July 3, medical marijuana users can head out to Quixote’s True Blue bar in Denver, Colorodo, to experience the HomeGrown Freedom Festival, a gathering and concert exclusively for MMJ patients. This gathering is designed to connect patients with the local dispensaries and caregivers that best fit the individual’s needs.

US biotech firm Cannabis Science, Inc.  reports that Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer visited its latest acquisition, Montana Pain Management in Missoula, June 17. Governor Schweitzer reportedly praised the project; "You are doing it right."

Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. signed two bills into law on June 7 intended to increase oversight of Colorado’s medical cannabis industry. Under the new legislation, municipalities can ban dispensaries.

The Montana Caregivers Network is traveling the state in "cannabis caravans," setting up shop in local hotels, where patients can walk in, see a doctor and—if they qualify—get a medical marijuana recommendation for a $150 fee. "You're helping end suffering on this planet for human beings," said mobile clinic organizer Jason Christ.

The Montana Board of Medical Examiners found that Whitefish physician Dr. Patricia Cole's past work with medical marijuana patients "amounts to unprofessional conduct" and ordered her to pay a $2,000 fine in a May 21 decision.