HELENA – The number of Montana medical marijuana users has topped 30,000 for the first time.
But the number of pot providers has dropped in the wake of federal raids on pot businesses and passage of legislation to clamp down on the industry.
State health officials say that at the end of April, there were 30,609 registered marijuana users in Montana. That’s 3 percent of the state’s population.
But the state lost 93 providers, called caregivers. There were 4,755 caregivers registered with state at the end of April, compared to 4,848 in March.
Several caregivers ceased operating after federal authorities raided 26 locations around the state in March. Others are trying to block a new law that would bar them from making a profit or providing for more than three patients.