September 2012
Chris Williams Found Guilty On All Counts
Chris Williams was found guilty on all counts related to his work at a state-licensed medical marijuana caregiver organization, which was the subject of a federal raid in March of 2011. The verdict was reached by the jury shortly after 5:00 p.m. today and Mr. Williams was taken into custody by law enforcement officers. Chris faces mandatory minimum sentences which run into decades, and could be as high as 85 to 90 years. Maximum sentences run for several lifetimes. “It’s a [...]
Federal Case on Chris Williams Now Before the Jury
The jury is currently deliberating the fate of Chris Williams, the single hold-out in the Montana Cannabis case being tried in Helena and the first medical marijuana defendant to go to trial in federal court in Montana. His attorney moved for a mistrial based on comments made by the prosecutor during closing arguments, but the judge denied the motion. Read more here: http://helenair.com/news/williams-trial-defense-attorney-requests-mistrial/article_43bc4c32-08c7-11e2-919b-001a4bcf887a.html
BREAKING NEWS: New Memo from U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter
Earlier today the Missoula Independent published a memo written by U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter to federal law enforcement officials in Montana. The memo discusses plant counts and weights in what appear to be threshold amounts as a basis for prosecution. Please take a moment to read both the article and the memo. We encourage you to pay particular attention to the comments by Diane Sands, which are quoted in the news story. It is tempting to read this memo as a [...]
Appellees’ Petition for Rehearing
This is the petition for rehearing that was sent to the Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court yesterday: Appellees' Petition for Rehearing
Message from Chris Lindsey on Chris Williams’ Trial
As many of you know, I was charged with several federal offenses related to work I did while at a company called Montana Cannabis. All of the original partners in Montana Cannabis have pled guilty to various federal charges related to medical marijuana activity except for Chris Williams, and his trial started today. I and several others related to the business were subpoenaed to testify today and did so in Helena. Chris’ attorney may yet call me back to testify further. [...]
Pending Changes to the MTCIA’s Injunction on the Current Medical Marijuana Law
Many providers are rightfully concerned about the upcoming changes to the injunction the MTCIA obtained on our current medical marijuana law. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you likely know that the Montana Supreme Court issued a decision that requires that the injunction be changed, and ordered the lower court to reconsider the basis for issuing it. The injunction blocked several of the worst provisions of the current medical marijuana law. The state’s [...]
Vote AGAINST SB 423 Flyers
We finally have some flyers available for volunteers to print out and distribute around your community. This truly is a grassroots effort we are undertaking and your help will make a difference. The flyer is available in color or B&W and full page or 4/page. The links to each of the files are below. We will have stickers available sometime soon. We are required by the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices to report all of the contributions made on behalf of [...]
DPHHS Orders Medical Marijuana Providers to Drop Approximately 5,400 Patients
(September 18, 2012 – Missoula) Following the Montana Supreme Court’s September 11 ruling overturning an injunction on parts of the current medical marijuana law, DPHHS is ordering a majority of the state’s providers to decide which patients they will cancel. The directive is intended to bring the providers into conformity with the current requirements of the state’s medical marijuana law without the injunction in effect. Today, DPHHS is mailing letters to 267 providers, leaving approximately 5,400 patients without a medical marijuana [...]
Ballot Issue Radio Ad Features Sen. Larry Jent Acknowledging that SB 423 Was Intended as “Defacto Repeal” of Voter Intent for Medical Marijuana Patients
Check out this statement issued by Patients for Reform earlier today. To hear the ad, go to http://www.patientsforreform.org/radio-ad/. (September 18, 2012 – Helena, MT) A radio ad airing statewide beginning today uses the voice of state Senator Larry Jent (D-Bozeman) to urge voters to reject Senate Bill 423, the new “repeal and destroy” medical marijuana law passed by the 2011 Montana Legislature, it was announced today. In the ad, Jent admits that the Legislature’s final vote in the 2011 session was [...]
MTCIA Endorses Gary Marbut’s Candidacy for HD 99
NEWS RELEASE Montana Cannabis Industry Association Endorses Gary Marbut for HD 99 MISSOULA - The Montana Cannabis Industry Association (MTCIA) has endorsed Gary Marbut in his bid for the Montana Legislature in House District 99. The MTCIA is the statewide group which advocates for medical marijuana providers. Chris Lindsey, President MTCIA commented, "The MTCIA is pleased to endorse Gary Marbut for HD 99, one of only two candidates we have endorsed for the Legislature this election cycle. We endorsed Gary because [...]
Patients for Reform, Not Repeal Issues Press Release Following Statewide Poll
The following statement was issued by Patients for Reform yesterday, following a poll of likely voters in November: IR-124 Faces Uphill Battle Opponents Glad to See Legislature’s Phony Medical Marijuana Law Polls Below 50% HELENA, Sept. 13 – A new poll shows that IR-124 (PDF), the November 6 referendum on the 2011 Legislature’s unworkable medical marijuana law, faces steep odds, with support at only 46 percent. Bob Brigham, campaign manager for Patients for Reform, Not Repeal, said, “Historically, ballot measures that [...]
DPHHS Issues Statement on Effect of Supreme Court Decision
This statement was just sent to the MTCIA by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and now appears on the Marijuana Program website for the department: "The September 11, 2012 Decision of the Supreme Court in Montana Cannabis v. State, 2012 MT 201, effectively lifts the injunction imposed by District Court Judge James Reynolds, as to the enforcement of §§ 50-46-308 (3), (4), (6)(a), and (6)(b), MCA. However, the decision of the Supreme Court does not take effect until [...]
Does the Supreme Court Ruling Lift the Injunction Immediately?
Unfortunately, as of this moment, we do not know. DPHHS is considering this question and will post information on its website later today. There have been no official statements by the state's attorney general's office. It is a complicated answer for a number of reasons and full of uncertainty. The Court's ruling says the judge's decision is "reversed and remanded." Does the word "reversed" mean the injunction automatically goes away? It is simply not clear. Add to this the fact that [...]
Ballot Language for IR-124
Many have asked what the actual wording is for IR-124, which allows voters to completely repeal SB423. Please everyone, get the word to everyone you know - be sure to vote this year and VOTE AGAINST IR-124! ----------- INITIATIVE REFERENDUM NO. 124 AN ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE REFERRED BY REFERENDUM PETITION In 2004, Montana voters approved I-148, creating a medical marijuana program for patients with debilitating medical conditions. Senate Bill 423, passed by the 2011 Legislature, repeals I-148 and enacts a [...]
Join Our Statewide Conference Call
In lieu of our usual monthly meetings, we will be holding a statewide conference call this Wednesday night at 7pm. We think that it is important to keep everyone informed, but it isn't really cost-effective for Chris to travel around the state. We also know there are a lot of you unable to attend the meetings for one reason or another. Everyone is welcome to join us. Chris will lead the call and the primary topic of the discussion will be [...]
Updated: Vigil for Richard Flor
As many of you know, Richard Flor passed away on August 30th while in federal custody. Flor was the first registered caregiver in the state of Montana. Flor, along with his wife and son, were serving time in prison as a result of their involvement with Montana Cannabis. He suffered from many ailments that included dementia and diabetes. He also broke several bones while falling out of bed onto the concrete prison floor. Despite the Federal Bureau of Prisons having provisions [...]
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