CRIME UP BECAUSE OF MEDICAL POT, STATE OFFICIAL SAYS

The head of the Montana Department of Justice's narcotics bureau said
Wednesday that crime has increased in 78 percent of the state's
jurisdictions since medical marijuana became legal in Montana.

Mark Long told the Gallatin County Republican Women during a luncheon
that crimes associated with medical marijuana have included homicides,
robberies, thefts and assaults. And he added that, because the state
is "saturated with medical marijuana," it's become a source for the
illegal selling and purchasing of the drug.

"All marijuana used to come from Mexico and Canada," he said. "Now
it's Montana, Mexico and Canada."

Long joined Bozeman Mayor Jeff Krauss and local law enforcement
officials Wednesday to answer questions on the pressing issue of
medical marijuana, which is facing a major overhaul on July 1 because
of concerns that the drug is being abused in the state.

The panel was mediated by Tamara Hall, the organization's program
director and vice chair.

Jake Wagner, the commander of the Missouri River Drug Task Force,
described how caregivers have made money by selling the drug in other
states. In Montana, they could sell medical marijuana for $2,000 to
$2,500 per pound. But if they drove to Wyoming and sold it there, they
could fetch double the price.

And, Wagner said, the state's medical marijuana law has changed how
the drug task force operates. Before medical marijuana use ballooned
in 2009, the force often initiated cases by finding marijuana. Now,
Wagner said, it has "lost some traction because we don't know where to
start."

Krauss said voters did not envision an industry when they approved the
statewide use of medical marijuana. And in Bozeman, Krauss said there
was a concern that the town would become "a little Amsterdam."
However, he added that Bozeman was able to regulate the industry as it
grew through zoning and ordinances.

"Bozeman regulated it. Most Montana towns didn't," Krauss said.
"Missoula is covered with casinos and pot operations. ...We were ahead
of the curve big time."

Rep. Ted Washburn, R-Bozeman, attended the panel and stood to discuss
Senate Bill 423, which goes into effect July 1 and will put an end to
legally buying and selling medical marijuana in the state.

"A lot of people didn't like it," Washburn said of the bill. "It isn't
perfect and it will come back in the next session."

The Montana Cannabis Industry Association and eight plaintiffs have
filed a lawsuit to overturn the new law, claiming it violates
constitutional rights. They're also seeking an injunction that would
keep the new law from going into effect until the lawsuit is settled.

Hearings on the injunction are scheduled for June 20 and
21.

If the new law does go into effect, Hall asked the panelists how
medical marijuana could still be made available to those who really
need it.

"It'd be pretty hard to get that done," Krauss said, adding that the
new law is a "de facto repeal" of the current law. "We'd have to wait
until the next legislative session."

A caregiver was also supposed to have been on the panel, but was
absent so Krauss took his place.