MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN MONEY

In the May 6 Billings Gazette, Sen. Jeff Essmann commented that
because the Montana Cannabis Industry Association was able to raise
almost $50,000 in two days to hire a lawyer to stop SB 423 from
becoming law, it proved it was all about money. I'd like to tell him
that it might be one of the things it's about, but by far the biggest
thing it's about is that this Legislature has seriously ticked off
their constituents.

For the first time in Montana history, the Legislature has overturned
the will of the people and there is a whole bunch of us, cannabis
activists or otherwise, who are not going to let it go. We are going
to stand up and fight for our rights, and we are bringing people not
just from this state but from other states, too. It's not just about
smoking pot anymore.

It's about whether or not this state has a right to govern itself.
It's about whether we as voters get what we voted for. It's about the
federal government employing intimidation tactics to bend us to their
will.

The Montana Cannabis Industry Association is about money all right.
It's about letting people have access to safe, therapeutic medicine
that they can grow themselves or buy from a reputable source. It's
about growing an incredible food source so high in protein you could
live on it (hemp seed). It's about bringing paper, textile and fuel
production back to Montana. It's about farming the most incredible
crop on earth, so you are damn right it's about money. It is about
even more. It's about survival.

Gail McLean

Columbia Falls