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Setting the Record Straight: Medical Marijuana Controversy Continues

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Oct 11, 2010 at 6:45 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 11, 2010 at 7:36 PM MDT

Once again - the controversy surrounding medical marijuana in the Treasure State is the topic of discussion in the capitol city. The Montana Medical Grower's Association met yesterday and today to provide education and set the record straight.

“They hear the word “marijuana” and they go crazy," says a couple vacationing from California, they decided to attend today's meeting to get information and see how medicinal cannabis in California compares to the Treasure State.

For some in the medical marijuana industry, “crazy,” is how they feel about the controversy surrounding their medicine.

“Right now I’m lost, who do I go to, what do I have to do," says Helena patient Betsy Bogy.

There’s no surprise that those highly publicized grey areas surrounding Medical Marijuana in Montana, confuses patients and Legislators alike, and the Montana Medical Growers Association’s Annual Meeting and Symposium wants to educate whoever will listen.

Montana Medical Growers Association Executive Director Jim Gingery says “it’s not a theory anymore, it’s a fact, it does work and there are reasons why it works. People need to be informed as to why.”

Patients, caregivers and supporters from around the state want to open the lines of communication by reaching out to Legislative and Judicial Candidates and shooting down falsities surrounding their business.

“It’s not running rampant in the schools from a medical standpoint. There are only 44 kids under the age of 18 that have a license in the state, so not everyone is getting their cards in high school. It’s a misunderstanding and fear mongering by some who don’t understand it," adds Gingery.

Someone who understands is Irvin Rosenfeld, the longest-living federal cannabis patient. The government provides him with a tin of 300 federally grown and rolled marijuana cigarettes to fight a serious and rare bone disorder that causes tumors to form on long bones. He made the trip all the way from Florida to join the cause.

“Education is always needed because the Federal Government has done a really good job of making cannabis/marijuana out to be hysteria, and how bad it is and I’m living proof that it’s not," says Rosenfeld.

Organizers hope that the discussions and networking at today’s event will paint the medical marijuana industry in a more positive light.

“I definitely want to see the patients heard in this upcoming Legislative Session. I want the Legislators to open their ears to listen and open their hearts because this has made a tremendous difference in people’s lives," says Becky Gross of Butte.

Industry leaders say medical marijuana has come a long way, just in the past year, but there’s still work to be done.

“We are an industry; it’s no longer just a thought or an idea, and its here," says Gingery.

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