Yesterday, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 701, setting in motion a plan to begin legal marijuana sales in January 2022. 

Cannabis policy reform advocates successfully fended off a series of last-minute attempts to make significant changes that would have undermined Initiative 190, the law voters approved last year by a 14-point margin. After a dramatic series of back-and-forths, state lawmakers agreed on a bill that makes some modifications to the ballot measure but keeps most of the original language intact. Click here to read a comprehensive summary of the legislation.

Pepper Petersen, political director for the New Approach Montana campaign in 2020, heralded passage of the legislation as a victory for Montana’s cannabis community: 

“The Montana Cannabis Guild was in the trenches fighting for the little guys during the 2021 Montana legislative session. Mom and Pop dispensaries are the backbone of cannabis in Montana, and we made sure the laws we passed here this year would keep their interests paramount.”

The Marijuana Policy Project played a leading role in the 2020 ballot initiative campaign to legalize marijuana in Montana, helping to pass CI-118 and I-190 with 57% and 58% of the vote, respectively. Our team is proud to have helped end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in Montana.

Moments like these are a reminder of why MPP’s work is so important. If you support our efforts to legalize marijuana in other states and at the federal level, please consider making a contribution to help us educate more voters about sensible marijuana policies.

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Great news! Earlier today, the Montana Secretary of State announced that CI-118 and I-190, the two initiatives supported by New Approach Montana to legalize marijuana for adults, received enough signatures to appear on the ballot this fall.
 

When the pandemic hit earlier this year, some feared it would mean the end of this campaign. But the team persevered and overcame tremendous obstacles. Voters will now have the opportunity to enact a marijuana legalization policy that will create jobs, generate revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on real crime.

Unfortunately, due to the challenges faced during the signature drive that significantly drove up costs, the campaign is behind in its fundraising goals.

We need to make sure our friends at New Approach Montana have enough resources to compete with an onslaught of negative messaging from opponents. Will you make a contribution right now to make sure the campaign has the resources it needs to win?

You can also help by talking with friends and family about the importance of passing both initiatives, following New Approach Montana on Facebook, and signing up to volunteer!

Election Day is less than 12 weeks away, and early voting starts soon. Be part of this important effort to overturn the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in Montana.
 

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Last Friday, New Approach Montana, a Helena-based marijuana reform campaign, submitted over 130,000 signatures from counties across the state in order to qualify two complementary marijuana legalization initiatives for the November 2020 ballot. Despite the severe impact of COVID-19, the campaign was able to reach its goals in time for the signature submission deadline.

The campaign submitted over 52,000 signatures in support of I-190, a statutory initiative that would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Montana, and over 80,000 signatures in support of CI-118, a constitutional initiative that would set the legal minimum age for purchasing, consuming, or possessing marijuana at 21. Those numbers far exceed the minimum requirements of 25,468 and 50,936, respectively.

The Governor’s Budget Office estimates that marijuana tax revenue will reach $48 million per year by 2025 under New Approach Montana’s plan to legalize and tax adult use marijuana at 20%.

Stay tuned for further developments, and visit the campaign's website for more information. 

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New Approach Montana, the political campaign working to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in the state, announced the launch of a statewide signature drive starting this Saturday in support of two complementary marijuana legalization ballot initiatives.

“The ballot initiative process is an integral component of democracy for half of all the states,” said Matthew Schweich, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project, which is supporting the campaign. “Campaigns across the country did the responsible thing by delaying and pausing signature drives earlier this year. But the economy is reopening, and now we have the opportunity to responsibly resume our efforts and give voters the opportunity to make important policy decisions at the ballot box this November,” Schweich continued.

The campaign is instituting a set of public health protocols to limit contact between circulators and petition signers, including wearing masks, providing single-use pens and gloves, supplying disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, and maintaining the six-foot distance requirement, among other measures. Joan Miles, a public health professional who served as the director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services under former Gov. Brian Schweitzer, reviewed the protocols and endorsed the campaign’s plan.

New Approach Montana is supporting two ballot initiatives this year. The first, I-190, is a statutory initiative that would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults and establish a regulatory framework for cultivation and sales. The second, CI-118, is a constitutional initiative that would set the legal minimum age for purchasing, consuming, or possessing marijuana at 21.

To qualify for the November 2020 ballot, the campaign must gather 25,468 signatures for I-190 and 50,936 signatures for CI-118. Under state law, all signatures must be submitted to county clerks by June 19.

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