Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
A Billings group is launching a $20,000 weeklong, statewide television advertising campaign to ask Montanans to urge their state senators and Gov. Brian Schweitzer to support repealing Montana's 2004 law legalizing medical marijuana.
The ad will be taped today and will begin running on Tuesday. It will feature some kids talking about marijuana getting into schools.
Cherrie Brady of Billings heads the group, Safe Community, Safe Kids, which is running the advertising campaign.
Brady said the theme of the TV ad is that "our kids are in trouble and that medical marijuana has penetrated the schools."
"Schools are pretty much under a gag order," she added. "We're hoping to expose a little of what's going on in schools."
Brady said school officials have told her privately that there's so much excess medical marijuana in Montana that kids are selling it all over schools and that some kids are prostituting themselves to obtain it. Law enforcement officials have told her that they can't police the use of marijuana in the schools because it's often consumed in brownies and candy, she said. "It's crossing boundaries," she said. "It's not just the bad kids. They have star athletes ( using marijuana too )."
The House, on a preliminary, 63-37 vote last week, passed House Bill 161, by Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, which would repeal the state's voter-passed medical marijuana law. It is expected to face a final House vote soon before heading to the Senate.
There are also several other key bills that would keep medical marijuana legal, but institute a more comprehensive licensing and regulatory system.
The ad will direct people to the group's website, Montana Medical Marijuana Reform , where they can find links to contact their state senators and Schweitzer, who has not said where he stands on repealing the law.
Steve Zabawa, owner of a Billings car dealership, said the Safe Community, Safe Kids has already has raised the money for the advertising.
Both Zabawa and Brady said the TV ad is timed to reach Montanans around the time their legislators are on their midsession break. They will recess on Feb. 24 and return to the Capitol on March 1. During that break, many lawmakers return to their home districts and meet with their constituents at town meetings and other gatherings.
The group also is setting up phone banks to make calls to community leaders in senators' districts and to ask them to contact their key constituents to see what they think is the best approach to address medical marijuana - repealing contact other the law, regulating the industry or taxing the industry, Zabawa said.
"Most of the state in my opinion doesn't know that medical marijuana can be repealed," he said.
He said he favors repealing the law, having the state study the issue thoroughly and then possibly passing another law that would put up strict parameters to restrict the use of medical marijuana. The state needs to get the federal Food and Drug Administration involved, he said.
"Repeal's the deal," Zabawa said. "We hope to get that accomplished."
Safe Community, Safe Kids, launched an 11th hour campaign last summer to put an initiative on 2010 ballot to repeal the medical marijuana. The group obtained more than 19,000 signatures in a week, but failed by 5,000 signatures to qualify it for the ballot.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Montana Standard (Butte, MT)
Copyright: 2011 Montana Standard
Contact: editor@mtstandard.com
Website: MTStandard.com - Butte, Montana
Details: MapInc
Author: Charles S. Johnson
The ad will be taped today and will begin running on Tuesday. It will feature some kids talking about marijuana getting into schools.
Cherrie Brady of Billings heads the group, Safe Community, Safe Kids, which is running the advertising campaign.
Brady said the theme of the TV ad is that "our kids are in trouble and that medical marijuana has penetrated the schools."
"Schools are pretty much under a gag order," she added. "We're hoping to expose a little of what's going on in schools."
Brady said school officials have told her privately that there's so much excess medical marijuana in Montana that kids are selling it all over schools and that some kids are prostituting themselves to obtain it. Law enforcement officials have told her that they can't police the use of marijuana in the schools because it's often consumed in brownies and candy, she said. "It's crossing boundaries," she said. "It's not just the bad kids. They have star athletes ( using marijuana too )."
The House, on a preliminary, 63-37 vote last week, passed House Bill 161, by Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, which would repeal the state's voter-passed medical marijuana law. It is expected to face a final House vote soon before heading to the Senate.
There are also several other key bills that would keep medical marijuana legal, but institute a more comprehensive licensing and regulatory system.
The ad will direct people to the group's website, Montana Medical Marijuana Reform , where they can find links to contact their state senators and Schweitzer, who has not said where he stands on repealing the law.
Steve Zabawa, owner of a Billings car dealership, said the Safe Community, Safe Kids has already has raised the money for the advertising.
Both Zabawa and Brady said the TV ad is timed to reach Montanans around the time their legislators are on their midsession break. They will recess on Feb. 24 and return to the Capitol on March 1. During that break, many lawmakers return to their home districts and meet with their constituents at town meetings and other gatherings.
The group also is setting up phone banks to make calls to community leaders in senators' districts and to ask them to contact their key constituents to see what they think is the best approach to address medical marijuana - repealing contact other the law, regulating the industry or taxing the industry, Zabawa said.
"Most of the state in my opinion doesn't know that medical marijuana can be repealed," he said.
He said he favors repealing the law, having the state study the issue thoroughly and then possibly passing another law that would put up strict parameters to restrict the use of medical marijuana. The state needs to get the federal Food and Drug Administration involved, he said.
"Repeal's the deal," Zabawa said. "We hope to get that accomplished."
Safe Community, Safe Kids, launched an 11th hour campaign last summer to put an initiative on 2010 ballot to repeal the medical marijuana. The group obtained more than 19,000 signatures in a week, but failed by 5,000 signatures to qualify it for the ballot.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Montana Standard (Butte, MT)
Copyright: 2011 Montana Standard
Contact: editor@mtstandard.com
Website: MTStandard.com - Butte, Montana
Details: MapInc
Author: Charles S. Johnson
