{"id":3504,"date":"2022-01-06T16:23:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T16:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisnow.com\/?p=58296"},"modified":"2022-01-06T16:23:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T16:23:00","slug":"montana-launches-legal-recreational-marijuana-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3504","title":{"rendered":"Montana Launches Legal Recreational Marijuana Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legal sales of recreational marijuana began in Montana with the new year on Saturday, less than 14 months after voters in the state legalized adult-use cannabis use and commerce.<\/p>\n

Montana voters legalized<\/a> the use of recreational marijuana and regulated sales of adult-use cannabis with the passage of Initiative 190 in the November 2020 general election<\/a>, when 57% of the electorate voted in favor of the ballot measure. A companion measure to set the legal age to purchase cannabis in Montana at 21, Constitutional Initiative 118, was also passed by a margin of 58% to 42%.<\/p>\n

Under Initiative 190, the use of recreational marijuana and possession of up to one ounce of cannabis became legal for adults 21 and older on January 1, 2021. But regulated sales of cannabis were delayed until January 1, 2022 by House Bill 701<\/a>, legislation passed by lawmakers last year to implement the successful ballot measure. HB 701 also allows adults to cultivate up to two mature and two immature cannabis plants at home, with a cap of four mature plants per household.<\/p>\n

Recreational marijuana products sold in Montana are subject to regulations under the legislation, including a 35% THC cap on cannabis flower. Edible products are limited to 100 mg of THC per package and a maximum serving size of 10 mg of THC. The Montana Department of Revenue is tasked with developing and regulating the state\u2019s new recreational marijuana market and will be responsible for licensing adult-use cannabis cultivators, processors, distributors and retailers.<\/p>\n

Brisk Start to Retail Cannabis Sales<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In its first weekend, Montana\u2019s recreational cannabis market pulled in $1,566,980 in sales.<\/a> Chris Fanuzzi, founder and CEO of Lionheart Caregiving and Dispensaries<\/a>, which currently operates five medical marijuana dispensaries in Montana, attests to the weekend\u2019s success. <\/p>\n

With 2022 already marking 15 years of cannabis cultivation, extraction, infusion and retail sales for the company, the onset of recreational marijuana sales in the state made New Year\u2019s Day a particularly memorable occasion for Lionheart this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was extremely excited, indeed,\u201d Fanuzzi told Cannabis Now<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s been super hectic, but there\u2019s been a lot of activity. Lots of hustling, moving, shaking and getting things done.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>
A selection of top-shelf Indica strains at Lionheart Caregiving in Billings, Montana. PHOTO courtesy Lionheart Caregiving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To protect Montana\u2019s existing medical marijuana infrastructure, only dispensaries that were licensed before November 3, 2020 will be permitted to make retail sales of adult-use cannabis for a period of 18 months. Fanuzzi said that on the first day of recreational marijuana sales, Lionheart saw a mix of adult-use customers and medical marijuana patients, with approximately 30 cars parked at the company\u2019s Billings location by 8:30 a.m. on January 1.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThere seemed to be a lot of new users,\u201d Fanuzzi said. \u201cProbably half and half. Most people were looking for flower and then concentrates, followed by edibles.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to Fanuzzi, Lionheart is already reaping the benefits of recreational marijuana legalization in Montana, including the ability to sell cannabis products to all adults 21 and older. The result is a much broader marketplace for the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easier to do business not having such a small, restricted customer base,\u201d Fanuzzi said. \u201cOne of the biggest pros is that more people have access to quality medicine that\u2019s safe. That\u2019s the biggest pro for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recreational Sales Only Allowed in \u2018Green Counties\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

But not all residents will have easy access to recreational marijuana, despite this week\u2019s launch of legal adult-use cannabis in Montana. Under the terms of HB 701<\/a>, cannabis possession and use are legal statewide. But retail sales of recreational marijuana are permitted only in those counties where a majority of voters supported the 2020 legalization initiative in the general election. As a result, Montana has 28 \u201cgreen counties\u201d where recreational marijuana sales are now allowed and 28 \u201cred counties\u201d with a ban on sales of adult-use cannabis.<\/p>\n

Existing medical marijuana dispensaries located in red counties are protected by a grandfather clause in the legislation and will be allowed to continue operating. Recreational marijuana sales can be authorized in red counties with the passage of a countywide referendum to permit adult-use cannabis commerce.<\/p>\n

Approximately 380 medical marijuana dispensaries were expected to begin serving adult-use customers with the launch of recreational marijuana sales, according to media reports<\/a>. Leise Rosman, CEO of the new Betty\u2019s Roadside Provisions<\/a> in Big Sky, says that the company has been hard at work preparing for Montana\u2019s new adult-use cannabis market, and plans are underway to open dispensaries in Bozeman, Butte and Livingston in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe doubled down our efforts in the last two months to make sure it was perfect for opening day,\u201d Rosman told Cannabis Now<\/em>. \u201cWe figured on January 1, it might be a lot of people\u2019s first time in a dispensary, so we wanted to make sure that first impression was right for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Opening day cannabis purchases at Betty\u2019s Roadside Provisions in Big Sky, Montana. PHOTO Raphael Pierson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Betty\u2019s Roadside Provisions is a boutique dispensary where visitors can feel welcome and enjoy the shopping experience as much as the product itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we looked at creating a curated experience, we wanted to make sure all the years we spent working with other dispensaries and talking to customers all got into Betty\u2019s stores,\u201d said Rosman, whose family has been in the cannabis business for the better part of a decade. <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCannabis isn\u2019t behind glass or counters, or in the back,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt\u2019s an experience where we want you to touch and feel the product you are about to take home with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Betty\u2019s Big Sky location strategically appeals to the millions of tourists traveling to Montana each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Montana, the domestic population isn\u2019t high, but the tourism effect is incredibly high,\u201d Rosman said. \u201cIt felt like a great place to meet people where they are in an environment to unplug and recharge. Our product makes perfect sense for that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legal sales of recreational marijuana began in Montana with the new year on Saturday, less than 14 months after voters in the state legalized adult-use cannabis use and commerce. Montana voters legalized the use of recreational marijuana and regulated sales of adult-use cannabis with the passage of Initiative 190 in the November 2020 general election, when 57% of the electorate voted in favor of the ballot measure. A companion measure to set the legal age to purchase cannabis in Montana at 21, Constitutional Initiative 118, was also passed by a margin of 58% to 42%. Under Initiative 190, the use of recreational marijuana… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}