Supreme Court decision and Where we go from here

What a difference a day makes.

As we are sure most of you already know, the Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the state and against the rights and needs of tens of thousands of Montana citizens. Still, the fight goes on!

We know many of you woke up this morning with a sense deep foreboding. Many of you are beyond frustration, many are scared, and some of you I am sure feel like giving up. We understand, and we share your anger. All of you need to know that we at the MTCIA will never be giving up…ever. We know that many of you will be looking for answers, and we hope that we can be of help. First and foremost, we have to remain united, and not let our differences keep us from our goal of making sure that every citizen of this state has access to the medicine they need, and that it be available in an open, safe, and transparent marketplace. Here are some things you need to know:

1. Remain calm. Please wait for the Department of Health and Human Services to contact you before doing anything. The DPHHS is STILL in charge. Although the court decision knocked the wind out of the sails of our industry, it did not kill it. Providers and Patients, while severely limited, are still allowed to exist, and providers are still allowed to receive compensation for their services. So please, just wait for the orders from DPHHS.
2. We at the MTCIA still believe that pushing for a  strong medical bill is still the most prudent course of action and also has the best chance of success at the ballot box. To this end, after reviewing the court decision, we have pulled our original initiative and are submitting an initiative that deals directly with the issues that the court opened up, as well as putting in a more robust regulatory rubric that can stand the legislative test.
3. We realize that our initiative resubmission will frustrate many of you who want to do something right now. We understand your frustration, and we understand that you may choose to put your efforts toward other organizations and efforts. We do not fault any of you who choose to do this. We completely support, as a matter of principle, ANY effort to establish a concrete and sensible regulatory regime for cannabis in Montana. Still, we feel that we must stick to our mission to fix the devious and untenable law that the legislature pushed on us, and to continue creating a vibrant medical market for all those who want it. To this end we are still committed to using the professional organization, M+R Strategic Services, to help us in our endeavor to get a solid initiative on the ballot, and to see it passed by Montana voters in November. Your support is always appreciated!

Let yesterday be a stark reminder; the powers that be are not on our side.

They also underestimate our resolve.

Let the fight continue!