Helena, MT: Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed legislation (House Bill 128) into law extending existing restrictions on the pool of applicants eligible to obtain licensure to participate in the adult-use marijuana market.
The law keeps in place current rules stipulating that regulators may only “accept applications from and issue licenses to former medical marijuana licensees that were licensed by or had an application pending with the department of public health and human services on November 3, 2020, and [who] are in good standing with the department.” That rule was set to expire on July 1, 2023. It will now stay in effect until July 1, 2025.
Montana voters passed a pair of initiatives in November 2020 legalizing marijuana use, production, and sales. Legislation permitting adults to possess cannabis took effect on January 1, 2021. Retail marijuana sales began on January 1, 2022.
Earlier this year, Oklahoma lawmakers passed legislation expanding a moratorium on the licensure of any new medical cannabis providers until August 1, 2026.
Information on pending state legislation is available from NORML’s Action Center.