Montana Judge Rules Against MMJ Crackdown

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Montana medical marijuana businesses are about to get some serious relief, thanks to a district court judge who struck down several key portions of a 2011 law intended to crack down on the industry.

Judge James Reynolds threw out bans on selling medical marijuana for profit and MMJ advertising, potentially opening up the state’s decade-old industry to new growth, according to the Great Falls Tribune.

Reynolds also tossed a restriction that limits MMJ providers to just three patients, as well as a provision that forces the state to tell the Board of Medical Examiners the names of any physicians who recommend marijuana as treatment to more than 25 patients in a given 12-month period.

It’s unclear if the state will challenge the ruling.

As of November last year, there were just under 10,000 registered patients in Montana, down from a high of 31,500 in May 2011.

Montana has a long and turbulent history with MMJ – two years ago, the state’s Supreme Court even stepped in and upheld several of the 2011 restrictions.