HELENA — A Montana legislative committee has advanced a bill to require testing of medical marijuana and the licensing of providers after voters passed an initiative last year to lift restrictions on the drug’s distribution.
The House Taxation Committee approved the measure Monday after making 20 amendments that would, among other things, exempt small marijuana providers from the testing requirement and change the proposed fee structure for providers.
The bill’s sponsor is Democratic Sen. Mary Caferro of Helena. She tells the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that she is unhappy with the committee’s changes and says they could lead to a black market for medical marijuana.
Last November, voters approved a ballot initiative to roll back a law that banned providers from selling medical marijuana to more than three people.
Caferro’s bill will head to the House floor.