[Mtnorml-list] medical marijuana bill fails in House

[Montana NORML]

Friends,

SB326, the medical marijuana improvement bill, failed to gather enough 
votes to move forward yesterday.  It needed 60 votes, and got 47 (with a 
handful of exceptions, a party-line vote yet again). It is dead.

HB-541, the decrim bill, is also toast.

The good news:

There was more marijuana legislation considered, and very nearly passed, 
in this legislature than any other in Montana's history. Legislators 
learned a LOT about marijuana, both medical use and the harms of 
generalized prohibition.

This is the beginning of a wave that is sweeping the nation. Consider 
just a few recent headlines in mainstream sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/24/miron.legalization.drugs/
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez29-2009mar29,0,88438.column
http://www.hcn.org/wotr/decriminalizing-drugs-could-stop-the-violence-on
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/31/cafferty.legal.drugs/index.html
http://www.parade.com/news/2009/03/why-we-must-fix-our-prisons.html


One other bit of good news:

SJR 20, a resolution that calls upon our congressfolk in Washington to 
begin the process of ending federal prohibition of hemp farming, passed 
the Montana Senate 49-1 and we project easy victory as it moves forward.


So, while we came damn close, we did not succeed in passing any good 
marijuana reform bills this session. We can try again in two years, and 
I am optimistic of resounding success.


While I try to avoid this sort of politicking, I have to say: If you 
think marijuana prohibition and the drug war are important topics and 
you want to see meaningful reform in Montana, elect Democrats! (And 
Libertarians, if they can win.)

Finally, almost none of this would gotten as far as it did without the 
efforts of our friends at Patients & Families United 
(http://mtpfu.org/). They have worked 7 long days a week in Helena to 
identify legislative allies, build coalitions, tweak language, and 
inform lawmakers about medical marijuana and marijuana prohibition. If 
you can, send them a thank you card, and a check:

Patients & Families United / doebare at aol.com
PO Box 1471
Helena, MT 59624



Onwards and upwards,

John Masterson
Montana NORML
http://montananorml.org