Montana Senate approves moratorium on new marijuana sites, backs outfitter endorsement; education endowment fails

The Montana State Senate on Feb. 4 approved a two-year freeze on new recreational marijuana retail locations, voted to restore outfitter endorsement for commercial guides, approved a $5-per-rental snowmobile trail-enhancement fee and left an education endowment proposal short of passage.

Senators passed Senate Bill 27, a measure that bars the Department of Regulation from issuing new dispensary location licenses through 2027 and restricts license applicants to relationships with existing licensed premises. The bill advanced out of the committee of the whole on a 42-8 vote after floor debate that split along concerns about competition and public-health impacts.

Senate Bill 27’s sponsor, Pro Tem Bogner, told the committee the bill "would allow for the orderly growth of the recreational marijuana industry" and said the executive budget projects several hundred new businesses over the biennium. Opponents argued the measure effectively protects incumbents and could raise the value of existing licenses. “If you’re gonna freeze the footprint…you’re gonna increase the value of those current existing facilities,” said Senator Trevis.

Why it matters: supporters said the freeze gives regulators time to assess public-health and enforcement impacts tied to the proliferation of high-THC products; opponents said it…