A ballot initiative announced today by medicinal marijuana advocates has the support of the Democratic Party’s candidate for Attorney General.
Former State Senator Larry Jent from Bozeman said Tuesday he supports the ballot initiative that would undo key provisions put in place by the 2011 Legislature limiting the use of medical marijuana. That legislation was upheld in February by Montana’s supreme court.
"I do not agree with the legalization of drugs, but I do agree that the legalization of medical marijuana in certain cases is very beneficial to patients suffering from chronic conditions."
In 2011, Jent voted for several of pieces of legislation that would have repealed or limited the use of medical marijuana in Montana, including the law recently upheld by the sate Supreme Court.
Jent says he was wrong to have voted for those bills and has changed his stance on medical marijuana. He says he has seen the benefits of the drug in friends who have used it.
Jent called out his Republican opponent, incumbent Attorney General Tim Fox, for creating a situation where patients can’t access medical marijuana.
When it was sued by the Montana Cannabis Industry Association to overturn the 2011 law, Fox's office defended the law.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office said Fox’s office wouldn’t have any comment, because the state supreme court is considering an industry petition to rehear the case.
Fox’s office also said the Department of Justice hasn’t taken a position for or against medical marijuana, and the office doesn’t have a comment on the policy aspects of proposed measures because their only interest in this issue is legal.
EDITORIAL NOTE:
The following lines were added to this story after it aired:
In 2011, Jent voted for several of pieces of legislation that would have repealed or limited the use of medical marijuana in Montana, including the law recently upheld by the sate Supreme Court.
Jent says he was wrong to have voted for those bills and has changed his stance on medical marijuana. He says he has seen the benefits of the drug in friends who have used it.
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