Sponsor seeks tighter marijuana-advertising rules; industry and media warn of economic and legal harms

Representative Carrie Seakins Crowe opened the hearing on House Bill 3 31, a sponsor-described “marijuana advertising cleanup bill” intended to close perceived loopholes in state advertising rules and prevent marketing that appeals to minors.

What the sponsor said: Seakins Crowe told the committee Montana’s existing advertising rules are “some of the tightest in the country” but said dispensaries are finding ways to present THC products in youth-appealing ways — through mascots, cartoon characters and digital tactics — and that the bill would “clean up the language” to eliminate ambiguity and strengthen enforcement.

Proponents: Testimony supporting the bill came from public-health and community groups. Steve Zabawa of Safe Montana said the goal should be “no ads” that persuade people to use a federally illegal intoxicant, comparing marketing to how tobacco advertising was restricted. Patrick Webb of the Montana Family Foundation said marketing that “normalizes drug use” increases youth experimentation and urged passage to block tactics that “mirror those used by Big Tobacco.”

Opponents and concerns: A large bloc of…