Montanans then approved two measures allowing adults over 21 to possess an ounce of cannabis and own four plants. Changes in statutes also allow people serving jail terms to apply for re-sentencing or an expungement of a conviction.
The law went into effect in January but if the law enforcement industry has its way Montanans won't be able buy cannabis at a retail outlet until at least October because it says the state already has a drunk driving epidemic. 43% of all traffic deaths in Montana involve alcohol, the highest in the nation. Studies on impaired driving due to cannabis are mixed: Colorado has shown a slight increase in traffic fatalities linked to cannabis but Washington State has not.
A study done by the Montana Department of Justice in conjunction with the State Division of Forensics says Montana could see a 77 percent increase in DUI cases, considering a similar change seen in Washington state after marijuana became legalized there. “It's pretty hypocritical for us as a society to say yes to alcohol as much as we do, without saying also yes if you choose to consume marijuana,” said Pepper Petersen, who is president of the Montana Cannabis Guild. “I don’t think the problem with marijuana is ever going to reach the proportions that it has with alcohol,” he said. [KTVQ teevee]
South Dakota, Wyoming and North Dakota are among the worst drunk driving states.
White Republicans fleeing cultural diversity in California and Oregon have inundated much of Montana bringing their conservative close-mindedness and the commitment to environmental degradation with them. The new Republican governor is from New Jersey and the state's Trump-worshiping lone congress member is from Maryland.
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