It seems as if everyone wants to allow recreational marijuana within their states because they are eager for the tax money that comes from it. However, Montana has offered some new options for those who want to enjoy cannabis. And, well, it’s got a number of people scratching their heads. How is this a good idea? And more importantly, how in the world is it going to be properly regulated.
Let’s take a look at what they’re actually allowing.
The law took effect on New Year’s Day, which allows those in “green counties” to sell the drug for recreational use. Essentially, the state is broken out into two colors – green is for the counties where most people voted in favor of recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, red is for the counties where most people voted against it.
This means that the laws change from county to county. And even if someone voted in favor of the legislation, if they were in the minority within their county, they won’t have access to recreational marijuana.
It could mean that a lot of people are going to move based on whether they want to be in a red or green county.
Licenses will be required for both selling and using marijuana across the state.
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting.
Anyone who is at least 21 years of age can own up to one ounce of marijuana. And, it’s possible to grow up to two mature plants at a time.
The math doesn’t quite add up. According to most cannabis growers, a mature plant can produce up to 17.5 ounces. Multiply that by two plants and a person could potentially have 35 ounces of marijuana in their possession. Yet, the law states that a person can only own up to one ounce. Hmmm…
There’s another confusing part. Exactly how does the state plan to monitor whether a person has one plant, two plants or a dozen plants? Once a person starts growing in their home or in their backyard, it would be nearly impossible to find out just how many are owned.
It seems that Montana was so quick to catch up to some of the other liberal states that they didn’t bother to think about the monitoring aspects.
The legalization of marijuana has been zooming across many states, including Colorado, Oregon, California, and Nevada. And many other states started the process in 2021, including New York, New Jersey, and Virginia.
Unfortunately, the states are in such a rush to appease citizens and start collecting taxes that they don’t think about the ramifications. You can see some of those ramifications in states where the problem has gotten out of hand. In Oregon, there are entire pot farms – and the government can’t figure out how to get the problem under control.
There’s a reason why marijuana continues to be illegal on the federal level. It’s a nightmare to monitor. And, there’s still that pesky aspect of science (we know, we know, the liberals hate science) that tells us that marijuana is still a drug – and that it can lead to psychosis, hallucinations, and more.
This isn’t a gate that we want to open. And it’s only a matter of time before Montana realizes just how poorly they framed their legalized marijuana legislation.