Just as the Montana Judiciary committee deadlocked 6-6 on passing HB 161, the bill to fully repeal the Montana Medical Marijuana Act, we get word this morning of federal and local law enforcement raiding caregivers in multiple locations in the Big Sky State.

First, the good news:

(The Missoulian) HELENA – A Senate committee failed on a tie vote to endorse a bill that would repeal Montana’s medical marijuana law.

The Senate Judiciary Committee locked up 6-6 on a motion to pass House Bill 161, by House Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, to repeal the law passed by voters in 2004. The repeal bill passed the House earlier this session.

Five Republicans senators, joined by Democratic Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman, voted in favor of HB161.

Four Democratic senators, jointed by Republican Sens. Chas Vincent of Libby and Terry Murphy of Cardwell, opposed the bill.

Montana Caregivers, with two raid cops taking a break (courtesy Montana NORML)

Now the bad news:

(The Missoulian) Federal raids hit medical marijuana shops around Montana Monday morning, causing an uproar in a community already roiled by high-profile attempts to regulate it.

“The timing is impeccable,” said Chris Lindsey, a Missoula attorney who specializes in medical marijuana cases, about the fact that the raids unfolded as a state Senate committee deadlocked on a bill to repeal the 2004 voter initiative that legalized marijuana.

“They’re seizing everything – plants, marijuana, grow equipment, files and computers. It’s very, very broad in its scope,” Lindsey said, who retains a lingering business interest in Montana Cannabis, one of the businesses where federal search warrants were executed.

The huge Montana Cannabis greenhouse in Helena was included in the raids, with authorities from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, Lewis and Clark County and Helena police taking part, according to the Associated Press. At least eight people were led away from the greenhouse in handcuffs, according to the AP report.

Our Montana Affiliate, Montana NORML, has been liveblogging the latest news.  They report the “smash and grab” tactics Californians are already familiar with, destroying ballasts, lights, seizing cash, computers, and lots of cannabis, but not charging anyone with crimes or arresting people.  Caregivers raided include Good Medicine Providers (Columbia Falls), 4 Seasons, CEG, Outlaw Hill (Livingston), Big Sky Patient Care (Bozeman), MCM (Bozeman), A Kinder Caregiver (Bozeman, Butte, Billings), Montana Cannabis (Helena), MT Cannabis (Missoula), Northern Light Medical (Kalispell), and Yellowstone Patient Care (Billings).

Montana NORML reports the raids are being overseen by the US Attorney’s office, specifically Victoria L. Francis, the Financial Litigation Unit Chief.  Because, you know, there isn’t any larger financial criminals to go after these days…

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2009-01-19

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2009-01-19.mp3)

Today’s Stash celebrates the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the end of the Bush Administration, and the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama.  Despite some misgivings over Change.gov and cabinet appointments, I am so excited to see the new day dawning in America.  Yes, there are dark clouds hovering over us and worse storms ahead, but I can’t help but see the silver lining – that we just can no longer afford to arrest and lock up taxpayers for their cannabis use anymore, and we can no longer overlook an untaxed ecofriendly fuel-producing billion dollar crop anymore.  As Obama has said, this wasn’t about him, it was about us.  As Change.gov and Change.org have shown, we are ready to talk about legalization of marijuana!

It’s as if enough people who think the war on drugs is stupid have realized that enough people think the war on drugs is stupid.  We’ve realized that it’s OK to ask “Why are we arresting potheads?” and “How come we don’t just sell and tax pot?” without everyone thinking we, too, are potheads and even if we are, realizing that nobody gives a damn if you are so long as you do your job, pay your taxes, and be civilized.  Enough people have either smoked it, do smoke it, or know someone who smokes it to know the government is peddling nothing but lies to prop up a failed bureaucracy.  People know that one slacker stoner, but they also know ten more who are just regular working folks who toke.  People also know alcoholics and know they’d rather hang out with the slacker stoner, given a choice, and figure if we can tolerate alcohol, we can tolerate weed.

My guest today is Tom Daubert from Montana Patients and Families United (check ‘em out at http://mtpfu.org*) who is here to warn Big Sky listeners and rally Montanans to contact their state legislator to protest Senate Bill 212, which would strip medical marijuana patient protections for life if convicted of new cannabis DUI standards so strict no patient could ever pass.  In short: choose your drivers license or your marijuana license.

Then my full reading (with music and everything!) of my Cannabis Civil Rights essay posted below, if I may indulge, and in doing so, thank George Rohrbacher for inspiring me…

*That URL always cracks me up because the show Meet the Press is often abbreviated “MTP” on progressive lefty blogs I inhabit.