LEGISLATORS TO TALK POT AS NUMBER OF USERS CONTINUES TO RISE

A bipartisan panel of legislators will meet Monday in Helena to
continue exploring ways to improve the state medical marijuana law.

The subcommittee of the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services
Interim Committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 137 of the State
Capitol. The public is welcome to attend and will have a chance to
comment on the work of the subcommittee.

The subcommittee plans to focus its efforts Monday on three specific
issue areas surrounding medical marijuana:

? law enforcement issues;

? distribution and tracking of medical marijuana; and

? regulation of medical marijuana providers, or ?caregivers.?

Ultimately, the subcommittee hopes to present the full interim
committee with draft legislation to introduce during the 2011 session.

According to information released this week by the state, the number
of registered marijuana users and caregivers continues to climb, with
3,380 new licensed users added to the rolls in the month of June alone.

According to statistics, the number of patients aged 18 to 30
increased by 1,115 in June; that age group represents nearly 30
percent of all patients.

The number of users with severe or chronic pain increased by 2,812 in
June; patients with that condition represent nearly 68 percent of all
patients registered as users in Montana.

?The subcommittee on medical marijuana has expressed concern about the
number of patients who are 18 to 30 years old and the number who list
severe or chronic pain as their debilitating medical condition,?
legislators said in a statement.

According to the data, which was accurate as of June 30, 2,729
Gallatin County residents ? just over 3 percent of the population ?
are registered medical marijuana patients; there are 538 licensed
caregivers in the county. That?s up from 2,344 patients and 497
caregivers at the end of May.

According to the data, Montana is home to 19,635 registered medical
marijuana patients ? 2.03 percent of the population ? and 3,940
caregivers ? people licensed to grow and dispense medical marijuana to
the state?s registered patients.

Monday?s meeting will be broadcast over the legislative Web site at
www.leg.mt.gov. It also will air on the state public access television
network TVMT. For a list of TVMT channels, visit www.leg.mt.gov/tvmt