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Committee weighs cutting THC per‑serving in edibles from 10 mg to 5 mg to limit pediatric exposures
Summary
Republican sponsor proposed lowering single‑serving THC in edibles to 5 mg and keeping package caps at 100 mg; public‑health and addiction specialists urged passage to reduce accidental ingestion and youth harms while industry warned of packaging costs and noted testing and labeling rules for legal products.
Representative Jodie Echart presented House Bill 636, proposing to lower the per‑serving THC dose in edible marijuana products from 10 milligrams to 5 milligrams while retaining a 100‑milligram cap per package. "One gummy can only have 5 milligrams of THC," she said, explaining the proposal aims to make a single piece of candy equal one standard serving and reduce accidental overdoses among children and adverse effects for older adults.
Public‑health and addiction specialists testified in support. Colleen Smith of Youth Connections pointed to DPHHS data saying a majority of cannabis‑related poison control calls involve children under age 10; Liana Troesh (Safe Montana) and Kristen Pendergrass (Shatterproof) said smaller serving sizes and standardized dosing align with best practices to reduce youth exposure and harms.
Industry witnesses including Evan Kajander of the Montana marijuana industry and dispensary representatives said licensed products are tested and labeled to show potency and that Montana’s current limits (10 mg per serving, 100 mg per package) are already among the strictest in the country. The industry raised concerns about increased packaging costs if products must be repackaged into more individual servings, and argued many emergency visits involve illicit or mail‑order products outside state regulation.
Committee discussion covered testing accuracy, childproof packaging requirements, how serving counts translate into units per package (reducing serving size from 10 to 5 mg increases the potential number of servings in a 100 mg package from 10 to 20), and enforcement challenges related to unregulated mail‑order products. The hearing concluded with the sponsor asking for committee consideration.
