OPEN HOUSE

Some medical marijuana producers are tight-lipped about where they
grow their cannabis.

Not Anthony Smith. He's offering public tours every Thursday night of
his Belgrade greenhouse, Stone House Gardens.

For $20, whether you have a medical marijuana card or not, he'll show
you the 60 or so cannabis plants -- some six feet tall -- in his
rooftop garden.

He'll teach you how to tell the difference between male, female and
hermaphrodite plants.

And, he'll demonstrate how to cut off a branch from a cannabis plant
and clone it to produce another plant of the same strain.

"I want to do the opposite of what a lot of people are doing," Smith
said. "They're hiding behind doors acting like they're doing something
wrong. I think there needs to be more awareness."

Smith has started a sort of medical marijuana cooperative and
alternative healing center at Stone House, located at 2265 Oro Lane.

A stonemason by trade, Smith, 39, got his license to provide medical
marijuana a few months ago and opened Stone House to compensate for
the masonry work he's lost in the recession.

Medical marijuana patients pay Smith to tend their plants, but they're
also encouraged to come and check on their plants' progress and care
for the plants themselves.

"They can just knock on the door and come on up," Smith said. "There's
always someone here."

Smith charges $100 to grow six plants for a patient over the summer
season. He estimates each patient will wind up with about six ounces
of marijuana.

He also offers classes on growing. The classes are free for the
patients he serves and $25 per session for members of the public.

The Stone House greenhouse is situated on the rooftop next to a large
open deck with sweeping views of the Bridger Mountains.

A few lawn chairs on the deck provide spaces for people to use
marijuana. Smith calls the space a "judgment-free zone" where patients
can sit around and talk about what kind of healing or marijuana works
best for their ailments.

There's also a large carpeted area on the deck where people can
sunbathe and where Smith hopes to eventually offer yoga classes.

And downstairs, a massage therapist that Smith has teamed up with will
give people an hour-long massage for $60.

"We're just totally relaxed here," Smith said, taking a seat in one of
the lawn chairs on the deck as the sun set behind him and he waited
for tour participants to arrive.

About 10 people attended a Stone House tour last week.

"You guys are welcome to climb back through here," Smith told the
group as they entered the greenhouse. "Just try not to break any branches."

Elliott Goldstein, of Missoula, peeled back the leaves on a plant and
checked out the white, hair-like protrusions growing from it.

"I'm interested in becoming a caregiver myself," Goldstein said. "It's
just nice to be able to go to different operations and learn different
ways."

Smith pointed out a "Hawaiian Gold" cannabis plant, which has larger,
broader leaves than many other strains.

He talked about how the hair-like outcroppings identify a plant as
female. Male plants have seed pods instead and will pollinate other
nearby plants, creating cross-breeds, if they're not removed.

And, he shared a tip for growing healthier plants - growing them next
to chamomile plants.

The tour took about 15 minutes.

"Just the whole community aspect of it intrigued me," said John Watts,
a provider in Bozeman.

For more information, visit stonehousegardensmt.com or contact Smith
at 209-0352.