Medical marijuana providers, patients and labs that test products told a legislative committee Friday they want regulations and licensing on their industry to show it is legitimate.
This is transparency and this is bringing the program out from the shadows, said Kate Cholewa, who represents the Montana Cannabis Industry Association. It is about transparency, it is about safety, it is about containment and being a functional program.
Senate Bill 333 is carried by Sen. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, and would require seed-to-sale tracking, licensing of dispensaries, a 2 percent tax on providers to pay for the program and requirements for testing laboratories. It also creates a canopy-based limit for providers and removes the requirement that a parent serve as a minor’s provider.
Proponents of the bill filled a small meeting room and overflow space to testify before the Senate Taxation Committee, which did not take immediate action on the bill. No one spoke in opposition.
Caferro stressed the tax is to pay for the tracking and licensing system only. It’s expected to generate about $500,000 a year, though the bill does not yet have a fiscal note.
Another bill set for a hearing Wednesday also proposes to tax medical marijuana as a part of Gov. Steve Bullocks proposed $123 million in revenue increases.
House Bill 529, carried by Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, includes a 6 percent tax on medical marijuana and is expected to bring in $2.6 million over the next two years for general state coffers.
Montana voters in November passed an initiative that required licenses and inspections and created licensing fees to administer the program.
Under Caferro’s bill, medical marijuana would be tested by labs to ensure quality and safety. With the tracking system, any products deemed unsafe could be easily pulled from circulation, supporters said.
Daniel Fuchs, who spoke on behalf of a group called Montanans Ensuring Access to Natural Medicines, told the committee he wants to see regulatory framework and oversight.
Its critical for all industries to have guidelines to be held accountable to, to have oversight with regard to public health and safety.
Gregory Zuckert, of Whitefish, designs tracking systems that are used in a handful of Western states. He said being able to track cultivation and inventory makes for more successful business and incentives providers to increases their level of professionalism.
A tight regulatory regimen with a rigorous inspection component will go a long way toward creating confidence with the public.
The bill also clarifies that providers can create marijuana concentrates, which advocates say is used frequently by cancer patients. and require providers live in the state for at least five years prior to applying for a license. That change is meant to reduce what is called a "green rush," when out-of-state providers looking to make a quick profit flood a state.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Industry Says Regulations, Licensing Would Show It’s Legitimate
Author: Holly K. Michels
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Website: Independent Record
