MARIJUANA SETUP TRIES TO PASS SNIFF TEST

The pot is growing, not burning, but still the odor from a medical
marijuana business on Montana Avenue is bothering the neighboring
business owners.

Mike and Alexandra Gregory, who own Oxford Antiques at 2411 Montana
Ave., started complaining in late May that a medical marijuana
operation on the ground floor of neighboring The Yellowstone Hotel
building was disturbing their noses and their customers. The exhaust
was being vented into outside vertical openings in a common wall
between the century-old brick buildings and coming in through four
windows.

"It was horrible for a couple three days. We just about closed," he
said.

Billings businessman Andy Nelson, who bought the Yellowstone Hotel
building in March, said he immediately responded to Gregory's initial
complaint by trying to vent the air upward onto the roof. But that
didn't stop all the odors.

In May, Nelson leased the ground floor to Care Therapeutics, a medical
marijuana operation owned by Friedrick Schweitzer, a nephew of Gov.
Brian Schweitzer and a Democratic candidate for the Montana Senate
District 29 covering Laurel and parts of rural Billings.

"It's hard to lease commercial real estate," Nelson said, adding that
Schweitzer is a good tenant who pays his rent on time.

In response to the complaints, Schweitzer also installed a window air
conditioner last week, but the odor was still entering Oxford Antiques
from the back of the cooling unit. As the next fix, Nelson decided to
reverse the air conditioners and ordered a fan.

"The air conditioners will blow into the room and the fan will send
exhaust out the roof," Nelson said.

Gregory is the kind of guy who shows up at 5 a.m. for an 8 a.m. garage
sale, Nelson said.

"It's not like we're ignoring him. He gave us until Tuesday and today
is Tuesday and the fan that arrived Monday is installed," he said.

If this latest plan doesn't work, he'll try something else, Nelson
said.

"Andy says he's going to take care of it on his side and I think he
will," Gregory said.

But he didn't wait long.

Early Tuesday, Gregory called the Billings Police Department as a
precaution before he and a helper started crawling up the four tiny
triangular ventilation shafts to screw sheet metal over the windows.
The potential fire hazard caused by the grow lights feeding some 40
medical marijuana plants and the lack of posted building permits were
two other concerns, Gregory said.

But Nelson said Schweitzer's business passed muster with the
city.

"The city came in and did inspections after he was licensed and
everything was fine," he said.

None of the 17 people living in The Yellowstone Hotel on the second
floor have complained about the odor, Nelson said.

The hotel's street level was gutted and sat vacant for three years, so
the antique dealers were happy when Nelson bought the building.

"We were just thrilled because with the previous property owner,
nothing was happening," said Alexandra Gregory.

The Gregorys are quick to point out they support Montana's medical
marijuana law, given proper regulations.

"I think they ought to legalize it like cigarettes and liquor and then
tax the heck out of it," Mike Gregory said. "If it is regulated
properly and everything is done right, it can be a boon to the state."

Although he said he's never smoked marijuana, Nelson said he, too,
supports the law with proper safeguards.

Friedrick Schweitzer, the son of Dr. Mike Schweitzer of Billings, did
not return calls for comment.

According to JoAnne Walls, who handles business licenses for the city
of Billings, Cure Therapeutics was recently a wellness center called
Healing House of Billings. The business operated at 1927 Holstein Lane
in Laurel along with Healing House of Montana owned by Friedrick's
brother, Hans Schweitzer.

However, in May, just before the Billings City Council imposed a
moratorium on new medical -marijuana businesses in the city, Friedrick
Schweitzer changed his business name to Cure Therapeutics and applied
for a medical marijuana license for the Yellowstone Hotel location,
Walls said.

Both Nelson and Gregory describe Friedrick Schweitzer as a nice
guy.

"He said I was overreacting and he gave me a free steak and a free
(gift certificate for a) massage and said it was all good," Gregory
said.

But the odor remained bothersome.

"You can't mask it. It's like somewhat of a skunk smell. It's not what
you'd say is a pleasant aroma," Alexandra Gregory said.

If these tough economic times drag on much longer, the Oxford Antiques
owners aren't ruling out joining Schweitzer and leasing the back of
their building to a pot grower. But they insist the air won't be
vented into any neighboring business.

"It's nice to have that option, but guaranteed, it's going to be
handled legally," Mike Gregory said.