A new radio ad circulating in Montana attacks the “repeal” of the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law and urges voters to put things back they way they were when they step into the voting booth in November. A press release from Patients for Reform provides the details:

(September 18, 2012 – Helena, MT) A radio ad airing statewide beginning today uses the voice of state Senator Larry Jent (D-Bozeman) to urge voters to reject Senate Bill 423, the new “repeal and destroy” medical marijuana law passed by the 2011 Montana Legislature, it was announced today.

In the ad, Jent admits that the Legislature’s final vote in the 2011 session was actually intended to functionally repeal (rather than fix) the state medical marijuana law adopted by voters. “And it worked,” Jent concludes.

“We’re urging voters to vote ‘no’ on IR-124, because it is a slap in the face to voters as well as cruel and harmful to the seriously sick patients Montanans sought to help,” says Bob Brigham, campaign manager for Patients for Reform – Not Repeal.

“The Legislature should have fixed the medical marijuana program, not broken it completely with a ‘repeal and destroy’ law,” he explained. “With the federal government also punishing patients and providers and even threatening their gun rights, it is vitally important that Montana voters stand solidly for their own rights,” Brigham said.

He noted that it is only because of a citizen signature-gathering effort last year that voters this year will have an opportunity to reject or endorse the Legislature’s repeal of the voter-passed law. The Legislature itself had rejected proposals to put the question to voters again.

Patients for Reform – Not Repeal today began airing the 30-second spot on the Northern Broadcasting Network, during the Aaron Flint show, and the group hopes to continue airing the ad on a daily basis indefinitely, depending on fundraising for the effort, according Brigham.

“We’re calling attention to the fact that this is an issue that revolves around voter rights and the will of the people,” Brigham said. “Rather than work on consensus proposals for strict regulation, all the Legislature wanted to do was repeal the law voters had adopted – and they did it twice. Senate Bill 423 was written deliberately to accomplish complete repeal, and Senator Larry Jent says so. The tragedy is that the very patients Montanans care about, the sickest among us, are now suffering unnecessarily and unfairly as a result,” Brigham concluded.

Will patients in Montana have their medical marijuana rights restored? That is up to advocates in the state and how effective they are in getting out the vote.

- Joe Klare

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