From April 19 - 24, 2007 the Cannabis Action Network toured Montana speaking about medical cannabis and meeting with patients and organizers. It was a huge success! The tour was dreamed up while in Amsterdam for the 2006 Cannabis Cup, when Debby Goldsberry began discussing a trip to Montana at the urging of Barry "Plunker" Adams. He was at the Cup receiving an award and pleaded for us to connect with the state's cannabis activists so we could visit his home state to assess the situation.
Debby and Plunker go way back, and he is a visionary leader who insisted I would be delighted to work with Angela Goodhope, coordinator of Missoula's Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy. Not only did Angela put together an amazing chain of events for us, but it turns out her partner in crime, Tom Daubert, is an incredible lobbyist and publicist. By the time Debby, Angel Raich, and I arrived at the Missoula airport, media across the state we already buzzing about our visit.
We toured Montana to help patients and organizers unite to move their new state medical cannabis policy forward. They have had a decent medical cannabis law on the books for over a year, but fear and confusion about how to safely acquire or grow medicine is widespread. For instance, we met many people whose legal number of plants produce more usable medicine than they are allowed, and they are looking for legal ways to distribute their extra to other patients in need. We also met nurses working in rural areas where doctors are rare, and they expressed the need for revisions to the law that allow nurse practitioners and other medical staff in rural areas to recommend cannabis. Montana also has an extremely high percentage of war veterans, so many of the concerned patients were vets who felt they would never find a doctor or affordable medicine.
The good news? There are several committed and talented organizers in Montana, and lots of local and national support for developing medical access and legal assistance for patients. And in this state of only one million, there are already over 100 doctors recommending cannabis! Our public audience was only around 20 at each event, but they were interested, articulate, and each group was comprised of a different 20 people!
Only by emersing ourselves in the local scene could Angel, Debby, and I best know how to advise Montana patients and families. Montanas (and their economy) are quiet and move at a slower pace. Most do not lock their house or car doors, and everyone we met was very relaxed and kind. Many areas are without cell phone and recycling service. People looking for organic or vegetarian food have few options: the "Good Food Store" in Missoula or the Community Co-op in Bozeman. The few non-white folks I spotted were in police custody.
The theme of our journey through the state was "marijuana IS medicine," but we also stuck to CAN's ever-important philosophies of sensible use, knowing your rights during police encounters, and respecting the beautiful and liberating nature of cannabis. For instance, our first event was a "Schools Not Prisons" rally on the University of Montana campus in Missoula on 4-20. It was organized by the new chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and included a live DJ and several speakers. We set up the CAN booth, then listened while the chapter's president read horrific statistics about the Drug War. Angel and Debby spoke about medical cannabis and California, and called on students to get involved to help patients in their state. The rally culminated in CAN's Know Your Rights legal training workshop. The SSDP vice-president and myself played cops, and audience members were our victims. Debby narrated, and we taught everyone the magic words: "I choose to remain silent and want to see my lawyer."
Later that day, we rallied at the County Courthouse, and marched the few blocks to the Federal Courthouse. There were many empowering speeches, drums, signs, and even a few joints were passed! The rally was also the first time Robin Prosser, a well-known patient, met Angel. Robin had recently had her medicine taken by the DEA, but she is not facing any charges. In the week before we arrived in Montana, Robin's story was all over the media.
Even though it was a jam-packed day of events, we squeezed in some celebratory shopping at the local hemp store. They had a full selection of clothes and accessories, many hand-crafted or from local companies. Some relaxation time was necessary, because our evening included two benefit events. The first was billed by the Missoula Independent like this: "If you prefer to eat the weed as opposed to--or perhaps, in addition to--smoking it, Dauphine's Cafe has your menu all set: polenta hemp terrine, cannabis crackers, wasabi hemp soy yogurt crema and other delights accompany a presentation of dinner theater with the Open Field Artists at 8pm."
It was an incredibly unique event and raised a big wad of cash for local cannabis groups. Following the Open Field Artists, I attempted to stop by the SSDP benefit show down the street. I wanted to unwind to the live bluegrass, but there was a line for 3 blocks and I was too cold to wait! Needless to say, it was probably the biggest and best day of 4-20 events Missoula has ever seen!
The next day, we left early for a meeting about a five hour drive away. We were convening with patients from around the state at the home of two long-time patients and all-around activists. On the way, we passed seemingly endless moutains, valleys, and rivers and saw herds of buffalo and wild elk. The weather changed from warm sunshine to pouring rain to sleet and windy snow and back to sunshine in a matter of minutes. We arrived safely at the home of our unbelievably brave hosts. The meeting was the first state-wide strategy session for Patients and Families United, Montana's new and only medical cannabis group. Angel and others had to step out for a few hours to meet with the local newspaper reporter, while the rest of us brainstormed about how to get the word out and work together. Many were in attendance to express concern about their excess harvest and other grey areas of the law. Debby encouraged everyone to shape the grey areas themselves instead of asking government to regulate them. We discussed dispensary models from California, and tried to decide what kind of system made the most sense for Montana. Debby also reminded Montanans that there would be casualties no matter which path they chose, so they must learn their rights and seek out activist lawyers and doctors.
We headed back to Missoula early the next morning for a second state-wide strategy session. The scene was equally inspiring, but instead of a private home we met at a newly remodeled and luxurious meeting space near the historic railroad area of town. A video team was in attendance, along with over 20 patients and a local journalist who wrote the following (my description of subsequent events follows the article):
http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=2A0F4733-1372-FCBB-834EF29E57BFD9D5&useLayout=0&print
By: Staff Writer
Montana's medical marijuana patients need all the help they can get. So it was a relief to see about 25 of them get a long-deserved dose of social support and camaraderie at a gathering of the first statewide group dedicated to medical marijuana patients' welfare.
Tom Daubert, founder of Patients & Families United, organized the afternoon-long oasis for patients and supporters in Missoula April 22. The event drew medical marijuana patients from Hamilton, Kalispell, Helena and Missoula, most of who had never met. It also hinged on special guests from California, Angel Raich and Debby Goldsberry, two prominent leaders in the national medical marijuana movement who offered guidance and encouragement to their Montanan counterparts.
In a comfortable space where patients could openly medicate, flanked by a spread of food and drink, the patients shared stories of their health-care nightmares, the relief they've found since Montana passed its 2004 medical marijuana law, and the frustrations they still face today. One patient who struggles to find a supply told of her mortifying experiences trying to score in back alleys; another told of being targeted by small-town police who don't respect state law. Many patients spoke about their exasperation over searching for doctors who don't just pump them full of hard-core, ineffective prescriptions out of reluctance to recommend medical marijuana.
It was clear—hearing from vitally ill patients now struggling to face stigmas, prosecution and bureaucratic blips—that Montana has a long way to go before medical marijuana patients can rest easy.
But it wasn't all discouraging.
Raich, the terminally ill patient who unsuccessfully sued the federal government over its harassment of California patients, congratulated Montanans for coming together, urging them to stand strong and learn from others' experiences.
"I really think Montana patients can learn a lot from California because we've really scraped our knees as we've implemented our law," she said, speaking in a vibrant tone that defied her illness. Raich's words resonated with the Montana patients, who pledged to continue meeting and working to improve their lot.
Goldsberry, who founded Cannabis Action Network and runs Berkeley Patients Group, one of the nation's oldest and largest medical marijuana dispensaries, perhaps offered the best observation of the nurturing and organizing that took place at the gathering.
"It's like a little baby chick, the Montana medical marijuana law," she said, cupping her hands tenderly. "So you're going to have to help it grow up, and give it a good home."
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By the time we finished the Saturday and Sunday meetings, we were more than ready to crash. However, we were on the road again early Monday and found that the weekend of strategy sessions were just what we needed to prime us for a noon rally on the Bozeman campus. We wound our way through icy mountains, and had our booth up and running by 11:30am. Angel was a true heroine, yelling above the wind while freezing in the heavy sleet. Since we were sans sound system, it was difficult to get a large crowd gathered. However, a constant stream of highly interested academics stopped to listen or peruse the booth as they passed between classes and the Student Union. We were able to refer about 50 patients to Tom, who was on hand to represent Patients and Families United. One shy student had not heard about Montana's law and had never thought about cannabis as medicine yet realized within minutes that he was in great need of medical cannabis himself. He signed up, thanked us profusely, and left happier knowing his pain would soon be relieved.
We headed for a warm, dry spot as soon as we could. We were thrilled to have a few minutes with the Bozeman organizers, students who are struggling to keep their NORML chapter going strong. Angel executed a successful live interview on the local radio station, and then we were back on the road.
We made it back to Missoula just in time for our last event, a vigil at the County Jail. Plunker gathered us in a circle and said, "Here we are again, small but determined." Several people shared stories of patients in that or other jails or prisons. We reflected on some statistics, joked about the cops that were watching us, and also heard some closing remarks from Angel and Debby.