JUDGE: MEDICAL POT ADVOCATE JASON CHRIST CAN TRAVEL TO LEGISLATURE WHILE
AWAITING TRIAL

Jason Christ can continue to travel to Helena, where he lobbies the
Montana Legislature on medical marijuana issues, while his felony
intimidation case plays out in Missoula County District Court.

On Friday, Justice of the Peace John Odlin allowed Christ to remain
free on his own recognizance and also said that he could travel within
the state.

The charge against Christ, an outspoken medical marijuana proponent
who owns the Montana Caregivers Network at Orange and Front streets,
stems from an alleged bomb threat against a Verizon store on Aug. 18.

Employees at the store on South Reserve Street called police to report
that Christ said he'd bomb the store if he didn't get to speak to a
manager. They also recorded an obscenity-laced phone call, allegedly
from Christ, in which the caller complained that Verizon would neither
cancel his service nor give him his money back, and said he'd "kick
the (expletive) out of your store and break things and knock over
computers and knock over stands and basically be a son of a bitch
because I can."

The call continued: "(Expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive)
you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive)
you, (expletive) you, you piece of (expletive)."

When Christ walked into Justice Court on Friday for his initial
appearance before Odlin, he stood at the back of the room. Odlin, busy
with another case, looked up and said, "There's a chair right there,
sir."

Christ remained standing.

Oldin again directed him to a chair.

"I have a pain. I have a medical problem," said Christ, who has said
he smokes copious amounts of marijuana to deal with hemorrhoids and
intestinal diseases. "It hurts to sit."

While Christ has sat for lengthy interviews, he's smoked marijuana
throughout.

"There's a chair right there," Odlin said. This time, Christ and his
attorney, Peter Lacny, left the courtroom and did not return until
Christ's case was called.

Christ faces two counts of intimidation, a felony that carries a
penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, and a misdemeanor
count of privacy in communications, punishable by six months in jail
and a $500 fine.

Odlin set a preliminary hearing in the case for Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. and
ordered Christ not to have any contact with the Verizon employees, and
restrained him from their offices.

Friday's hearing came a day after the Associated Press reported that a
Montana Caregivers Network newsletter took a stand against last year's
ban by the state medical board on video teleconferences for people
seeking medical marijuana cards.

The network has signed up thousands of medical marijuana patients for
"green cards" via such teleconferences with doctors. The state Board
of Medical Examiners ruled in November that doctors must make full
patient examinations.

"The Board's position does not equate to law," the AP reported the
newsletter said.

Christ refused to comment Friday on the newsletter.

Board executive director Jean Branscum said Friday that Christ had
contacted the board office "and assured us that what was in the
newsletter was not what they're doing."

The Caregivers Network recognized the board's position as it applied
to initial doctor visits, she said. "They are seeing folks
face-to-face on the initial visit," she said. "After that, they are
doing teleconferences."

The board will investigate complaints on a case-by-case basis, she
said.