According to the latest stats (PDF), the medical marijuana registry in Montana continues to grow by leaps and bounds, as expected. There are now 27,292 registered patients in the program, or about 2.7% of the state’s population, a slightly higher percentage than Colorado.

All you cardholders, you’d better be registered to vote, and ready to act to help preserve the program in Montana during this legislative session. How? Sign up at http://montanadrugpolicy.org and http://mtnorml.org/subscribe if you haven’t already, please.

Other items of interest in the new statistics include:

Missoula County is the first to surpass 4000 registered patients (4,131), or around 4% of the population. Gallatin County is not far behind with 3,642 patients, also about 4%. Flathead is right there too, with 3,431 patients  (about 3.9% of the population).

73% of patients now report “chronic pain”, compared to 72% a month ago.

33 growers now have more than 100 patients, up from 28 a month ago.

Compared to a month ago, just one more physician  has joined the ranks of the 32 doctors who have signed more than 100 recommendations. It’s interesting that the number of doctors and caregivers with more than 100 patients is nearly equal.

About half of all caregivres have exactly one patient, same as a month ago.

The number of patients under 18 years of age grew from 55 to 58 — still just 0.2% of registered patients.

One registered patient died since last report, making a total of 48.

There are no growers in Carter, Garfield, Powder River, or Treasure Counties, despite a total of 30 resident patients. Might be an opportunity there.

103 patients don’t live in Montana. Expect that loophole to be closed soon.

The average age of a registered patient is 41. There are 67 patients over 80 years of age.  It would be great to interview them.

Of course all these statistics become meaningless if medical marijuana is repealed in Montana. That’s a real possibility, with several bills (like HB 161) proposing repeal. If it passes, as of July 1st, 2010, “patients” will be no different from criminal marijuana users once again. And “caregivers”? You’ll become criminal drug dealers, overnight.

Sign up at http://mtnorml.org/subscribe and http://montanadrugpolicy.org to get alerts about what you can do in the coming weeks.

The latest statistics (PDF) on Montana’s medical marijuana program are out.

Here’s a few highlights:

• 25,017 total patients, 72% reporting Chronic Pain
• 28 Caregivers have more than 100 patients
• 15% of patients live in Missoula County, 13% in Gallatin County, 13% in Flathead County
• Half of all caregivers have just one patient.
• 90% of caregivers have 10 or less patients
• 55 minors under the age of 18 are patients
• Almost half of all patients are age 18-40.
• 31 (out of 349) physicians have written more than 100 recommendations
• 1459 new patients registered between September 2010 and October 2010

So, the program continues to grow.

The 2371 caregivers with a single patient are probably a combination of people growing for their chronically ill loved one, and spouses and room-mates who are helping one another “get legal”. After all, about 100,000 Montanans use cannabis from time to time for personal, social, or spiritual reasons, so it makes sense that a lot more people are avoiding the black market and growing their own. That helps put criminal syndicates out of business — or least forces them to choose a different market.

The 28 caregivers with more than 100 patients are nothing other than small businesses, and probably have several employees and are paying rent for commercial buildings, whether warehouse garden space or storefronts or both. The wages they’re paying those employees are putting food on the tables of Montana families, paying mortgages, and keeping people off public assistance.

I suspect the numbers will continue to grow — at least until the legislature gets done rewriting the law, at which point it’s anyone’s guess.

If you’d like to get action alerts about those changes as they’re being discussed, register your location at at mjdb.montanadrugpolicy.org.

Unless you help.

The 2010 election was pretty much a disaster for cannabis advocates. Key legislative allies were defeated, and many people who are hostile to medical marijuana (and proud of it) were elected.

Montana’s medical marijuana law stands a real chance of being repealed (erased!) in a few months. At the very least it will surely be altered with severe restrictions.

Were you hoping we could add PTSD, or depression, or insomnia as qualifying conditions? Or increase plant counts? Think again. With this new legislature, there is very little chance for any positive improvements or expansions in the law.

At this point, our opponents are probably better funded and better organized. They are working hard to return us to a policy of total criminal prohibition of marijuana. Of course their position is based on lies and fear, but they are attracting a small army of supporters.

Our only chance to preserve to what we have is if people get organized. People like you.

Caregivers, the legislature could charge you exorbitant fees,  put you out of business, or instantly turn you into felons. You have an interest in doing the following:

1. Make sure every one of your patients is registered to vote.  Print a stack of registration forms and hand them out at your dispensary. Ask to see their voter registration cards before giving them cannabis!
2. Collect their email addresses and phone numbers.
3. Have an action plan in place for contacting them all quickly.

Patients, the legislature could snatch this precious privilege away and turn you into criminals overnight, or restrict the list of qualifying conditions and renewal procedures so that your card simply expires and you cannot renew. You have an interest in doing the following:

1. If you’re comfortable, come out of the closet. Tell your friends and neighbors you’re a registered patient and how marijuana helps you. Putting a human face on the topic may turn some people around. Tell them to tell their legislators.
2. If you’re comfortable mentioning your debilitating medical condition in public, and are capable of speaking professionally, consider making a trip to Helena this winter to testify. There will be multiple opportunities. Contact us if you’re interested, as there may even be funds to offset travel and lodging.
3. Be sure you’re on our email list to be notified.

Montana NORML and allied organizations statewide will be watching the legislative proceedings day-by-day, hour-by-hour. There will be times at which a key meeting or vote is about to be held. Those are the times we need to be able to quickly generate calls and emails from constituents to specific legislators.

Everyone, please go to http://candidates.montanadrugpolicy.org

1. Click the map where you live.
2. If you live in a major town like Billings or Missoula, you’ll get another map. Click where you live again.
3. Next (this is the important part!), click the “I live in this district and want to help!”
4. Fill in your name, email, and/or phone.  That’s it!

We’ll contact you when the legislator who represents you needs to hear your voice. We’ll also ask you to call five other people in your neighborhood and get them to make calls and send emails too. So think about who those five people will be.

This strategy does work. Calls and emails from the people in their home districts can change minds and generate helpful votes.

Let’s work together to stop the repeal of medical marijuana in Montana.  Will you join me today?