Jacob Bell
New Member
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Caregivers could have less than two weeks to turn in their medical marijuana plants, but one medical marijuana advocate says caregivers aren't likely to turn it over to police.
On July 1 medical marijuana providers are out of business. The new law passed by the legislature takes the profit out of the industry and forces caregivers to turn over any marijuana they might have.
Tayln Lang of Montana Medical Growers Association says he doesn't think it will pan out that way.
"I believe that all that cannabis that's been produced by caregivers up until this point is going to make it's way to the black market," says Lang.
When Senate Bill 423 passed, the medical marijuana industry took a serious hit. Under the old rules caregivers could care for as many patients as they wanted. Now they're limited to helping a maximum of three patients, and they're not allowed to make a profit.
"Many businesses are shuttering their doors, and people are afraid," says Lang.
Marijuana advocates called foul and decided to fight back through the legal system.
"This is a law that is basically based on fear and intimidation, and we don't think that is fair to either patients or caregivers," says Lang.
According to the law as it stands, caregivers will have to give up all medical marijuana so that law enforcement can destroy it. As far as Lang knows, no caregivers have turned in their crops.
"If you say, for example, that there are 30,000 patients in the state, and for each one of those 30,000 patients, six plants can be grown, that is a significant amount of cannabis," says Lang.
He says the drugs won't go to cops, but instead will likely go the black market. That is exactly where Lang expects people who have been legally using the drugs to turn if they can't qualify under the new stricter guidelines.
"Of course that is the only place that patients are going to be able to get their cannabis from, so it makes sense that caregivers, folks that have been growing and producing it up into this point, are just going to leak that medicine to the black market," says Lang.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: nbcmontana.com
Author: Matt Leach
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Bonten Media Group
Website: Excess Medical Marijuana Could Be Headed For Black Market
On July 1 medical marijuana providers are out of business. The new law passed by the legislature takes the profit out of the industry and forces caregivers to turn over any marijuana they might have.
Tayln Lang of Montana Medical Growers Association says he doesn't think it will pan out that way.
"I believe that all that cannabis that's been produced by caregivers up until this point is going to make it's way to the black market," says Lang.
When Senate Bill 423 passed, the medical marijuana industry took a serious hit. Under the old rules caregivers could care for as many patients as they wanted. Now they're limited to helping a maximum of three patients, and they're not allowed to make a profit.
"Many businesses are shuttering their doors, and people are afraid," says Lang.
Marijuana advocates called foul and decided to fight back through the legal system.
"This is a law that is basically based on fear and intimidation, and we don't think that is fair to either patients or caregivers," says Lang.
According to the law as it stands, caregivers will have to give up all medical marijuana so that law enforcement can destroy it. As far as Lang knows, no caregivers have turned in their crops.
"If you say, for example, that there are 30,000 patients in the state, and for each one of those 30,000 patients, six plants can be grown, that is a significant amount of cannabis," says Lang.
He says the drugs won't go to cops, but instead will likely go the black market. That is exactly where Lang expects people who have been legally using the drugs to turn if they can't qualify under the new stricter guidelines.
"Of course that is the only place that patients are going to be able to get their cannabis from, so it makes sense that caregivers, folks that have been growing and producing it up into this point, are just going to leak that medicine to the black market," says Lang.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: nbcmontana.com
Author: Matt Leach
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Bonten Media Group
Website: Excess Medical Marijuana Could Be Headed For Black Market
