Tie vote blocks bill to expand medical marijuana

HELENA - A bill to increase the amount of medical marijuana patients may possess and expand the list of diseases for which the drug can be prescribed was stalled Friday on a tie vote in the House Human Services Committee.

Senate Bill 326, which passed the Senate with a vote of 28-22, would have increased the legal amount of medical marijuana a patient can possess from 1 ounce to 3 ounces. It would also expand the narrow list of diseases for which the drug can be prescribed to include diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's, among others.

In hearings, the bill's sponsor, Sen. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula, said he aimed to ease more people's pain and expand access to the drug for those who already have prescriptions.

But critics, including some in law enforcement, said they feared that an expansion of users would encourage an expansion of the illegal marijuana market as well. Others said the current amount of available medical marijuana was sufficient.

The bill is probably dead, unless 60 members of the House vote to bring it out of committee for a vote.