A recent rule change in Montana allows the state’s registered medical cannabis patients to be “untethered” from dispensaries, meaning that patients previously tied to one provider can now purchase medical cannabis from any dispensary in the state, according to a Missoulian report.
The new policy took effect June 2, the news outlet reported.
There are roughly 33,531 patients currently enrolled in Montana’s medical cannabis program, as well as 235 licensed providers, according to Missoulian. Patients may purchase 5 ounces of cannabis per month, and with the freedom to visit any dispensary in the state, providers will face a new level of competition, the news outlet reported.
Lawmakers and cannabis advocates have been working toward untethering patients from Montana’s dispensaries since 2017, and last year, the legislature passed Senate Bill 265, which required untethering to start by July 1, 2020, Missoulian reported.
Changes to the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system were made in order to implement S.B. 265, according to the news outlet, as providers must now track patients’ daily or monthly purchase limits as patients purchase products from different retailers.
