BILLINGS — Thursday morning, the Montana Legislature held a hearing regarding several cannabis related bills, including SB 443.
If passed, that bill, which is in committee, would limit the THC concentration in a cannabis product.
Those in support say it would protect Montana youth from the hazards of addiction as well as severe damage on the mind and body. Opponents say it could hurt the local economy and consumers who rely on cannabis for medicinal properties.
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The bill intends to reduce THC content in marijuana flower products from 35% to 15%, limit a single serving of edible marijuana to 10 milligrams of THC, and limit all other marijuana products to a concentration of 800 milligrams or less.
"This is a very important bill for the people of Montana, and I think we could send a good message too, across the United States," said Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, at Thursday's hearing.
The bill aims to reduce harm for Montana's youth and their risk for addiction.
Elizabeth Pincolini, an opponent of the bill and owner of Billings Alternative Wellness, which helps people obtain medical marijuana licenses, says if the bill is passed then dispensaries would have to physically alter the chemical makeup of their flower.
According to Pincolini, commercial marijuana flowers contain hundreds of different chemicals, including THC. THC is what causes the psychoactive effects of cannabis.
"Just because you reduce the THC doesn't mean you're impacting the high," she said Friday.
By reducing the potency of the flower, Pincolini said dispensaries would go out of business trying to adjust the levels in their flower.
"To have dispensaries revamp how they grow is a huge problem. I mean it wipes out inventory. It really is a bad bill. It will affect consumers negatively as well as businesses," she said.
Bill supporters, such as Steve Zabawa of Billings, believe it could positively impact the community by reducing addiction rates and protect the youth.
"There's not much healthy going on by putting a federally illegal drug in your body," Zabawa said Friday.
Zabawa is the founder of SafeMontana, a group formed in opposition of pro-marijuana laws in Montana.
SafeMontana supports legislation to limit THC consumers to 21 and older, limiting THC potency to 10% or less, controlling revenue from cannabis products, and restricting advertisement for the marijuana industry.
"The problem (with drug usage) is it's eventually death or life in addiction. Part of one of our bills with the allocation of (cannabis revenue) is to really step up treatment for longer time periods so we have better outcomes," he said.
