FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to your questions based on actual facts from verifiable sources and longterm studies. No Spin. Just Truth.

General Information

Safe for Montana is the educational project built and managed by the Montana Cannabis Industry Council and focused on providing factual data from trusted sources on the actual impacts that cannabis legalization has primarily in Montana but also in other jurisdictions.

Our mission is to educate the general public and all stakeholders to ensure Montana’s policies prioritize public health and safety, prevent harm to young people, and promote sustainable economic growth in the cannabis industry.

We achieve our goals by educating the public, engaging with policymakers, providing evidence-based resources, and collaborating with community stakeholders to advocate for balanced and thoughtful cannabis regulations.

Youth & Cannabis

Why is youth marijuana use a concern?

Youth marijuana use is linked to negative effects on brain development, academic performance, and mental health. The adolescent brain is still developing, making it particularly vulnerable to the effects of marijuana.

Risks include cognitive impairment, addiction (Cannabis Use Disorder), increased risk of depression, anxiety, and psychosis, as well as potential long-term impacts on memory and IQ​2024-Youth-Use-one-pager.

Marijuana use during adolescence can alter gray matter volume, impacting decision-making, learning, and emotional regulation​2024-Youth-Use-one-pager.

Heavy use among young people is associated with higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and psychotic disorders like schizophrenia​2024-Youth-Use-one-pager​Freeze the Footprint.do….

Cannabis companies often use social media and products designed to resemble candies and sweets, which appeal to youth. Studies show young people exposed to marijuana advertising are five times more likely to use the drug​2024-Youth-Use-one-pager.

Cannabis & Public Safety

How does cannabis legalization impact public safety?

While legalization can regulate products, it also increases the risk of impaired driving, diversion to the black market, and underage use without strong safeguards in place​Freeze the Footprint.do….

All cannabis products in Montana undergo rigorous lab testing for potency, pesticides, and contaminants. Packaging is child-proof and tamper-resistant, ensuring safety for consumers and families​Rotunda 2025 – Station….

Seed-to-sale tracking monitors every stage of cannabis production and sale, ensuring transparency and compliance while reducing the risk of diversion to the black market​Rotunda 2025 – Station….

Cannabis and the Economy

The economic impact of the cannabis industry in Montana has been large. 

The industry currently provides jobs for over 4,000 Montana families with an average wage of $20/hr which is nearly double the state minimum wage.

The size of the industry has grown to more than $300,000,000 annually and generated over $50,000,000 in tax revenue in 2023 alone. This tax revenue has the capability of helping and supporting thousands of Montana families.

The vast majority of cannabis companies are locally owned (70% of businesses) which ensures that the financial benefits including jobs, profits and taxes stay within the communities that they are generated in.

Safe For Montana prioritizes supporting local Montana businesses over ones owned or controlled by out of state corporation that ultimately reduce the financial benefits to local communities.

The cannabis market has grown very quickly. So quick that it has lead to instances of oversupply, primarily in retail locations. Safe for Montana supports the implementation of license freezes at the local municipality level as well as a state wide license freeze.

Health & Medical Use

The state of Montana recognizes the medical benefits of cannabis and has designated the following conditions as ‘qualifying conditions’ for the procurement of a medical cannabis card. Below are some of the most common conditions:

-Chronic Pain

-Cancer

-PTSD

-Epilepsy

Medical cannabis has been shown to reduce opioid reliance by providing an alternative treatment for pain management. According to the New York State Department of Health, states with medical cannabis programs have experienced a 25% reduction in opioid overdose deaths compared to states without such programs. Additionally, patients who use medical cannabis for chronic pain report decreased opioid use, improved quality of life, and fewer opioid-related side effects. This demonstrates the potential of medical cannabis to address pain effectively while mitigating risks associated with opioids.

(Source: New York State Department of Health)

Yes! Medical cannabis is available for those patients in need. Many retail locations even offer specialty products specifically made for medical patients.

In addition, medical cannabis is taxes at a much lower rate (4%) than recreational cannabis to ensure that those in need are able to afford relief.

Regulation and Compliance

Montana enforces strict regulations, including licensing, seed-to-sale tracking, testing, and THC limits, to ensure a safe, transparent, and responsible cannabis market​. In many cases the regulations in Montana are more strict than those found in other industries including food, beverages, alcohol and general retail.

Montana has introduced THC limits on a number of cannabis products including flower and edibles. Currently, flower is capped at 35% and edibles are capped at 100 mg per package or 10 mg per serving.

Many claim that THC caps help ensure public health. However, there are no reputable studies that support this claim. In fact, THC caps, especially excessive THC caps, often lead to an increase in black market activity which does not face any regulatory scrutiny or quality testing and standards.

Put another way: THC caps can actually lead to worse public health conditions as the demand for products doesn’t go away, it just moves to the unregulated, untested and unsafe black market.

Cannabis products are required not to appeal to children and all labels and packaging must be approved for use by the Montana Cannabis Control Division (CCD) prior to sale. This stamp of approval by the CCD ensures that kids are not drawn to any packaging.

In addition, all packaging must feature proper warning language as well as the marijuana symbol to ensure that consumers are fully informed about the product and what it contains. 

Community and Social Impact

Simply put, the cannabis industry creates opportunities within communities. Each new cannabis operation is a new small business that hires local workers and provides those workers and their families a livable wage.

Many counties in Montana have implementing a county level local option tax. That money can be used to better the communities where it was collecting from.

Montana enforces public awareness campaigns, education for budtenders, and strict compliance standards to promote responsible use​.

The cannabis supply chain is often complex and features many different partners. In Montana, the different cannabis operators utilize other local businesses for utilities, agricultural inputs, industrial gases and services such as legal, accounting and consulting.

The cannabis supply chain is deeply integrated with local businesses and many local businesses have become heavily reliant on their cannabis customers.

Youth Protection

The industry protects youth from requiring cannabis in many ways but the most effective is barring entry of people under the age of 21 from entering cannabis retail locations and other licensed locations.

This ensures, that those under 21 years old are not just able to access cannabis but also that they do not have the opportunity to see what cannabis products are on the market for adults.

No.

Cannabis operators in Montana do maintain an online presence through the use of social media and websites but all of those channels use age verification to ensure individuals 21 and older cannot access the content.

Sustainability

The industry is adopting sustainable practices like reducing water and energy waste and supporting policies like freezing the footprint​Freeze the Footprint.do….

Freezing the footprint means limiting overproduction to prevent environmental harm, protect small businesses, and avoid black-market diversion​Freeze the Footprint.do…​Rotunda 2025 – Station….

Controlled production conserves water, energy, and soil resources, ensuring the industry’s long-term sustainability while reducing its carbon footprint​Freeze the Footprint.do….

Advocacy and Policy

We advocate for policies that prioritize youth protection, public safety, environmental sustainability, and fair economic opportunities for all Montanans. A more in depth view of our policy recommendations can be found here.

You can get involved by educating yourself and others, contacting lawmakers to support responsible cannabis policies, and sharing our resources with your community.

To get involved, visit our Take Action page.

We are focusing on education and outreach to policy makers and stakeholders to ensure that they have access to factual evidence on the impact cannabis has in Montana and can have to support our economy and support our local communities.