Weed Shops In Great Falls On The Ballot November 8
I noticed this post (screenshot below) on the Great Falls Tribune Facebook page this morning and had to scratch my noggin a bit.
The Facebook blurb above the picture doesn’t jibe with the headline below the picture.
The caption below the picture is accurate, the sentence above the picture is an uninformed opinion presented as a “news” item.
Saying that the “Great Falls City Commission is asking voters to prohibit all types of marijuana businesses from operating in Great Falls city limits” is either an intentional misreporting of fact meant to mislead readers, or it’s a failure to understand the simple basics of how and why issues are placed on a local ballot.
The Great Falls City Commission is NOT asking local voters to do anything other than vote on the issue of whether or not they want weed shops and other types of marijuana businesses inside city limits.
The placement of the ballot question is in accordance with Montana Code Annotated, specifically authorized under HB 701
The Commission is NOT advocating one way or the other or “asking voters to prohibit” weed businesses here. Period.
A vote “For” is a vote for prohibiting weed shops etc. in Great Falls city limits.
A vote “Against” is a vote against prohibiting weed shops etc. in Great Falls city limits.
As a side note, this upcoming ballot question is NOT a “local legalization” or “local repeal legalization” vote as some have suggested.
That issue was decided and settled in 2020 when MT voters voted in favor of I-190, legalizing adult use recreational weed statewide.
The precise language of the ballot issue in question is as follows: “The City Commission of the City of Great Falls has proposed an amendment to the Official Code of the City of Great Falls to specifically prohibit all types of marijuana businesses from operating within the City of Great Falls.”
That’s pretty specific. It is possible that the wording was not intended to imply support or opposition by the City Commission, but to the casual reader – and to a voter in the ballot box – it rings as a request by the City Commission to “prohibit all types of marijuana businesses from operating with the City of Great Falls.”
I stand by my reporting.