Pubdate: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 Source: Helena Independent Record (MT) Copyright: 2011 Helena Independent Record Contact: http://helenair.com/app/contact/letters_to_editor/ Website: http://helenair.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1187 Author: Fred Naeher REGULATE, NOT ERADICATE No one asked me what my intentions were when I voted in favor of the Montana medical marijuana law, so I will take a moment to share my thoughts with you. Granted, the situation has spun out of control. The situation needs regulation, not strangulation. I ask the governor to veto House Bill 423 as it is not well thought out. With some good ol' Montana ingenuity, this could easily become a jobs bill. Montana does a great job with regulation. Have you tried to get a special bottle of wine mailed to you from an out-of-state winery? With regulation, taxation, licensing, quality control and the other parts of regulation that we are good at, we have the opportunity to turn this into an income source for the state and jobs for bona fide people who want to offer an alternative to medicine. Just as I have not the time nor the interest to raise my own chickens, I feel the same about growing my own marijuana. I would rather buy it from a licensed organic Montana grower that! is regulated, taxed, inspected, tested for purity and proudly labeld as Made in Montana and sold only in Montana. There has got to be a better way to get this regulated without insulting the intelligence of those in the medical field and the people who voted for it to begin with. Please do not follow what the other states are doing; take the lead and do it the Montana way. Fred Naeher Helena - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake