Following our most recent blog post on the costs of the lawsuit, there has been a great deal of speculation that we are prepared to abandon our fight against SB423. This is not the position of the MTCIA, and we have no plans to give up the fight. Rather, we are simple asking those who have benefited from the lawsuit to contribute to the cost, and nothing more.
The lawsuit against the state of Montana for its attempts to destroy the industry is a fight worth waging. If it had not been for the suit, there would effectively be no providers today, and Montana would be the only medical marijuana state in which the state representatives succeeded in rolling back the will of the people. When the vast majority of patients are either too sick or do not have the resources to grow their own cannabis, the amazingly brave work done by those who continue to help patients demonstrates an extraordinary amount of compassion for those in their care. These people deserve our vocal and visible support, and we will continue to do that which is within our power to provide that support. Of course, this battle comes at a steep financial price, but the board of the MTCIA truly believes that Jim Goetz was and still is the right choice to help us lead this fight. Mr. Goetz has done work of the highest caliber, and he deserves our continued financial commitment. Simply put, when the fighting gets tough, it is exactly the wrong time to remove one of your best warriors. Everyone currently in operation today should take note of the fact that he personally fought on behalf of our cause and has done what none other has been able to do – turn back the government’s increasing tendency to favor the will of the federal government over the will of the voters who put our elected officials in office.
There is seemingly no shortage of bad news for medical marijuana providers and patients in our state, and the MTCIA is not about to contribute to it. Indeed, these are the times that try men’s souls. The fair weather profit-takers have long gone from what is left of the industry, most likely underground, and even committed and caring providers have found it safer to simply leave the fight. But those who soldier on in this crisis have not shrunk from their service to a cause they know is right. All those who stand with us now deserve the love and thanks from the citizens of Montana. Governmental oppression is not easily beaten. But we have this consolation: That the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Life as a caregiver in 2009 and 2010 was easy, and what we obtain too cheaply, we value too little. It is only when the challenges are hard that we understand a thing’s true value. Can we put a price on personal liberty or physical heath? These things are beyond value; truly a priceless things. The federal government, with its armed and well-trained police force has named us its top priority for nothing more than political purposes. In so doing, it has trampled on our state laws, the Montana Constitution, and on the rights secured by the nation’s Bill of Rights. On the state level, our own law enforcement officials have abandoned the state law they are supposed to enforce in favor of taking money from the federal government to prosecute those very citizens they allegedly serve and protect. If this is not tyranny, then tyranny has no meaning in the US. We as Americans have a duty to oppose unjust laws, and the MTCIA stands ready to do just that.
I pasted this link along with a comment on the Rolling Stone’s web page article on President Obama. I am going to post the article on Chris Lindsey next. I am going to challenge the Stone to send someone to cover what is happening in Montana. Thank you for keeping up the fight.
There are few who are more sympathetic to this cause than me, and I am and always have been in full support of the lawsuit. But is it really realistic to think the relatively few people the MTCIA newsletters reach are going to be able to fund a lawsuit that is already running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars on our own? Especially when there are a variety of other campaigns and causes associated with this subject that are in no less need and equally important relying on the same small group. It seems our resources are stretched far too thin.
Who are these big money providers with hundreds of patients that aren’t contributing? The only providers I know have a couple dozen patients at most and are contributing or would if they weren’t spending every dime trying to stay afloat. It seems to me most if not all the big providers I knew of are now very busy trying to stay out of Federal prison or preparing to go. I guess the point of my post is the vast majority of the people this message will reach are already giving everything we can.
So the issue, to me, is how do we get that message to the ears that need to hear it? I don’t have that answer, and I’m not sure it’s possible. The sad reality is too many people just don’t care enough about this issue relative to everything else that’s going on in the world so long as they can find a little weed when they want it. I’m continually amazed at the lack of response I get from people I know to be supporters of cannabis when posting links on Facebook or asking for help spreading information regarding the legal labyrinths in the cannabis community. The simple fact is people are either afraid of expressing support or simply don’t care if it doesn’t affect their own lives.
The only possible idea I can come up with is to look for unconventional allies in the fight. Re-framing the issue as more than access to cannabis, but basic human rights might bring support from established National organizations or groups both in and out of the cannabis debate. Attempting to coordinate with similar groups in other states to form a more cohesive message and organize plans of attack. Contacting and forming relationships with media other than the local newspapers and TV stations (I’ve had no luck trying to make MT’s ordeal a national story, but it’s always worth trying). Perhaps even soliciting donations on a broader scale, from people who may not have anything to do with MT specifically or what’s going on here but agree with the underlying principle. There has to be at least a few billionaires, or at least millionaires, out there willing to listen to the message.
I’m not saying Richard Branson is going to fund our lawsuit or that all the answers lie outside the borders of Montana. I’m not saying the MTCIA hasn’t or isn’t taking all these and other possibilities into consideration. I’m really just brainstorming here because I want to help and I’m already donating as much as I can. Maybe it has to get worse before it gets better, but at any rate I appreciate all the efforts and whether we can continue to pay Goetze or not the fight has just started for me with or without him.
Thanks for carrying on the fight. You deserve back up.
Shame on those who don’t contribute.
There are other ways we can get things to change. We can support pro cannabis candidates who are running for the state legislature by voting for them in the upcoming primary election and the general election. I personally know where I started from and will continue to support responsible cannabis reform. I believe the power of cannabis can not be discounted against the power of prescription medication. There are proper uses for both and more and more people are waking up to the fact that cannabis is a medicine one may use with out the regard for deadly side effects. While I can not financially support the MTCIA my funds will be supporting this pro cannabis legislative candidate. I am Mark Higgins and I am proud to support cannabis reform in the 2013 legislature if I get elected for house district 45. So please show your support for cannabis reform and vote for Mark Higgins.
OK I’m back in after a sergury gone terribly wrong. I miss a few months and I see my fellow Montanans struggling to survive. What ever happened to the concept of a citezens arrest? Is it legal, and more importantly how can we use it to effectively bring in all of the politicians, law enforcement, and other officials into the same legal system they are using to hose us? Let’s put our big boy pants on here and go get these bastards for the crimes they have committed and laws they have blatently broken? Who is to hold them accountable with out a checks and balance of the people, by the people, and for the people? We are. More on this idea coming soon.