BUST: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

There's been plenty of news about medical cannabis in the capital city
and around the state early this week, from the high-profile law
enforcement actions at the greenhouse west of town and other
businesses across Montana, to the Senate committee's tie vote Monday
that effectively bottled up a movement to repeal the 2004 voter
initiative that legalized marijuana for medicinal use.

We're loath to recommend the legislature's repealing of laws passed by
voters, so we're pleased to see the repeal effort stalled for now in
the Senate. Sen. Terry Murphy of Cardwell, whose district stretches
north to include Jefferson County and East Helena, did the right thing
by forming a subcommittee to develop an encompassing piece of
legislation to correct a law that even supporters acknowledge is far
from perfect, but that was, after all, the will of Montanans when it
was approved six-plus years ago.

It's harder to know what to make of the bust at Montana Cannabis
locations around the state, including the former State Nursery
greenhouse on Hwy. 12 West outside of Helena. There are far more
questions than answers about what happened and why.

We can say, though, that the images of federal agents bedecked in
hazmat suits pulling plants from the greenhouse and handcuffing
employees, with little explanation to the public as to why, doesn't
help the federal government's case when it comes to not appearing
overly heavy-handed and onerous in the face of state laws. And while
medical cannabis is certainly controversial, it is still legal in Montana.

A press release issued by the U.S. attorney on Tuesday said the bust
was the culmination of an 18-month investigation into drug trafficking
activities across the state. The release also claimed that
"individuals with illnesses who are in clear and unambiguous
compliance with state law are not the focus of this
investigation."

Without knowing how the bust will play out -- there have been no
criminal charges filed or indictments handed down yet -- it strikes us
as a public relations debacle on a couple of fronts.

For supporters of medical cannabis, the bust comes at a terrible time,
as the legislature debates how to make changes to the state's current
law. If laws are being broken at Montana Cannabis and elsewhere,
legitimate patients and providers could suffer.

And from the perspective of the government, with a raid of this nature
in the planning process for two weeks, according to local law
enforcement officials (and apparently the result of a year-and-a-half
of work), a better communication plan should have been in place. The
amount of rumor, innuendo, speculation and misinformation floating
around about the bust is staggering -- and that's just among the folks
who have commented on the story at helenair.com.

If the case against these folks is strong enough to warrant a
coordinated statewide bust, it's not too much to ask for a more timely
and thorough explanation of what the law enforcement agencies are
doing and why.