Legal cannabis sales have begun in Montana

It was -16°C on January 1st in Montana. Despite the polar cold in this mountainous region of the northern USA, legal cannabis sales have officially begun. All residents aged 21 and over will be able to buy up to 28 grams of flowers, limited to 35 % of THC. Consumers will also be able to buy up to 8 grams of concentrate. At home, they will be able to grow two mature cannabis plants, and two young plants.

« It's crazy, we already had people queuing up an hour before we opened! People have been calling me since 6 a.m., enthuses one dispensary owner met by a journalist from Leafly. There's been a queue of 20 people since 9am, and it hasn't stopped since.»

A high tax of 20 % will apply to each sale. Communities may also add a surcharge of 3 %. These revenues will be used to bolster provincial government coffers. For example, Yellowstone County - famous for its natural park - expects $60,000 in annual revenue from the million tourists. In all, the state expects to exceed $1 billion in tax revenues.

Green« counties allow, »red« counties ban

Montana will now be separated into two colors: green and red. There's one special feature of legalization: it doesn't apply everywhere. Montana residents will only be able to buy cannabis in counties where a majority of voters are in favor. voted in favor of proposal I-190, legalizing recreational cannabis. This map from local TV MTN News reports:

Roughly half the counties voted in favor, the other half said «no». But green communities represent more than 80 % of the population. It was the more rural, outlying and therefore more conservative counties that voted against Proposition I-190.

But this map is not set in stone: a «red» county can become green. To do so, a citizen must circulate a petition, which must gather enough votes to trigger a vote in the local assembly. And it's also possible in the opposite direction. If a green county wants to ban cannabis sales, all it has to do is set up a vote, then gather a majority. This will be the case in June, in Yellowstone County.