Marijuana dispensaries prohibited for 90 days

After receiving several business applications for medical marijuana dispensaries, the Libby City Council approved on Monday to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits for the next 90 days.

Emergency Ordinance 1891, does not permanently prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries, rather it’s purpose is to allow the city to prepare an effective ordinance within the next 90 days that the citizens want, council member Kristin Smith said.

The ordinance went into effect immediately after approval.

“It’s called an emergency ordinance because the city believes it’s a matter of public health and safety that we address this urgently,” Smith said during the city council meeting Tuesday.

Medical marijuana in Montana was an ongoing back-and-forth issue last year.

In November of last year, a ballot issue to expand access to medical marijuana garnered support from 57 percent of voters statewide.

Initiative 182, approved by voters, struck down a law passed by the Montana Legislature in 2011 that limited medical marijuana providers to three patients each.

The three-patient limit took effect in August of last year, forcing the closure of medical marijuana dispensaries across the state.

After the ballot being challenged, on Dec. 7, District Judge James Reynolds of Helena ruled a drafting error in a voter-approved ballot initiative should not delay the measure’s implementation.