[420 Girl]

Montana: By a single vote, the state Senate today endorsed a bill designed to give medical-marijuana patients easier access to the drug they say relieves agonizing pain for a range of chronic diseases.

"This is not about getting high," Sen. Steve Gallus, D-Butte, said as he tried to convince fellow senators to vote for the bill. "It's about medicine. It's about access to health care. If you have just a little bit of courage and a whole bunch of compassion, you can realize this is a health-care issue."

The 25-24 vote in favor of Senate Bill 326 sets up a final, binding vote early next week in the Senate, which could send the measure on to the House or possibly kill it, if a few votes change.

Five Republicans - Sens. Dave Lewis of Helena, Jerry Black of Shelby, Terry Murphy of Cardwell, John Brueggeman of Polson and Bruce Tudtvedt of Kalispell - joined 20 Democrats in voting for the measure. Two Democrats - Sens. Ken Hansen of Harlem and Sharon Stewart-Peregoy of Crow Agency - joined 22 Republicans against it. Democratic Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman was out of town and not present for the vote.

SB326, sponsored by Sen. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula, makes several changes to the medical-marijuana law that Montana voters put into place by initiative in 2004.

It increases the amount of marijuana that a patient or "caregiver" can possess from one ounce to three ounces; allows patients to get the drug from more than one licensed caregiver; allows licensed growers to have six "mature" plants rather than just six plants; and adds some additional medical conditions or diseases that can be legally treated by marijuana, such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Erickson said the bill makes practical changes in the program so it will work better for those who need it.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...a-program.html