Caregiver Lenny Brown brought medical marijuana to show potential patients at the Bozeman Hempfest at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds Saturday, but he was asked to remove it from the premises.
"I wouldn't have come here if I knew I couldn't display my medicine," Brown said. "All I heard was that they were going to shut us down - that we needed to put it away."
While there were plenty of pipes, hemp T-shirts and medical-marijuana providers to pick from at Hempfest, there was no cannabis allowed.
Four Gallatin County sheriff's deputies patrolled the event.
Sheriff Jim Cashell said a contract between attorneys for the county and organizers of the event stipulated that no marijuana be allowed. Gallatin County attorneys could not be immediately reached Saturday for comment.
Cashell said he believed the requirement was set, "because you can only sell to people registered to your care."
"If you're displaying it for Joe Blow and he's sitting there looking at it, that's not necessarily the guy you're supposed to be taking care of," he said. "For them to display that would probably be a violation of federal law and Bozeman ordinances."
Hempfest organizer Michael Smith said he didn't know about the requirement until Saturday. He said had told vendors that they'd be allowed to bring marijuana in sealed containers for informational purposes only.
"There was no commercial activity being done by the vendors - i.e. dispensing, selling," said Smith, who also is a caregiver and executive director of The Healing Center in Bozeman. "They were handing out cards, things like that."
Some vendors left when they learned of the ban, Smith said.
"I feel like I should be able to show my medicine to prospective patients," said Brown, of Cannabis Connection Caregivers in Bozeman. "It's not illegal for me to have.
"All of the medicine is different. If you have a superior medicine, which I think I have, you ought to be able to show that," he said.
About 50 vendors stayed. People attending Hempfest, which ran from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., milled between booths housed in two buildings at the fairgrounds, food stands and a Sublime tribute band, LBC, playing outside.
At one booth, one of the event's featured speakers, Ed Rosenthal, signed copies of his newest book, "Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Grower's Handbook."
Rosenthal, of Oakland, Calif., wrote for High Times and is known for his advocacy for the legalization of marijuana. He teaches cannabis cultivation at Oaksterdam University in Oakland and does consulting work in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.
Rosenthal said he planned to speak on Saturday evening about "freedom."
"(Cannabis) should be of as little concern to the state as growing tomatoes - in terms of who can grow it and its entrance in and out of the market," he said. "I'm not saying there shouldn't be rules about not selling to children or other certain rules, but basically people should be able to grow it themselves. They should be able to buy it in stores."
Amanda Ricker can be reached at aricker@dailychronicle.com or 582-2628.
petit_singe posted at 10:44 am on Wed, Aug 18, 2010.
Chuck, didn't Tony Montana do cocaine?
I don't see what's so taboo about recreational marijuana use. It seems like it's ok to talk about as long as it's "medical." However, studies have shown time and time again that Marijuana is safer than alcohol. One cannot get "marijuana poisoning" and I've never seen someone hugging the toilet after smoking too much. It takes about an hour for every serving of alcohol to get out of one's system enough so that they're ok to drive; it only takes about 20 minutes for marijuana. Marijuana, if used in a vaporizer, is virtually harmless to the body and won't damage the liver like alcohol can.
Chuck makes it sound like Montana was a wonderful, moral, traditional place until medical marijuana came in and ruined it. He fails to mention that Montana has more alcohol-related accidents than ANY OTHER STATE in the country. Recreational marijuana would be a boon to the economy, and a safer alternative to alcohol.
bozemanlocal posted at 8:01 pm on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
Great job Bozeman police force! You successfully paid four officers to stand there and patrol hempfest to make sure no one..... looked at marijuana??? i know Bozeman does not have a lot going on but I am sure these four officers could have been better used somewhere, like catching drunk drivers coming back from floating. But then they wouldn't be able to stand outside all day confiscating weed to go home and smoke on their own!
Holly Brown is an Awful Judge posted at 6:23 pm on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
Dear Sheriff Cahsell:
It is not your job to enforce Federal law.
PISSED-OFF AMERICAN posted at 3:08 pm on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
Chuck, your little commennt that you always like to put on medicam cannabis articles is almost as stupid as the laws making cannabis illegal. You may not like it, but that's just too damn bad. I know you would rather see more innocent, non-violent, tax paying americans in jail. Maybe you should open youjr mind and shut your mouth a little more.
Chuck Feney posted at 10:54 am on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
A Bad Reaction to a Tony Montana Faction
When Obama backed off on medical weed
Montana youth developed a painful need.
Every former dealer of pot
Who knew the market was hot
Decided they could profit from their greed.
There were thousands of these old gravy train riders
Who had the morals of a hungry web of spiders.
They believed it was their fate
To pretend to be legitimate
And not be pushers, but instead they'd be providers.
But as new providers they were forced to follow rules
Unlike the days when they were selling dope in schools.
So they had to be compliant
And find a way to hook the client
So they got together and developed doper trapping tools.
It was decided they would run a big pot campaign
To make cards easy for their clients to obtain.
Up until then, it was hard
To get a medical marijuana card
So you could get the weed to smoke away your pain.
There was a problem that almost stopped them in their tracks,
To get a card, you had to show some medical facts.
But in their caravans were found
An easy way to get around
The need for doctors, because they had a pond full of Quacks.
To get a card all that you do is get in line
Then pay your cash and tell the doc you don't feel fine.
Bad back, headache , or cramps
Are the best for rubber stamps,
But no matter what, it's almost sure the doc will sign!
Next the new patient has to run the trafficker maze
To see all type of buds to buy and set ablaze.
These dealers go the extra yard
To get their new provider card
To sell them dope that's soon will put them in a haze.
But now these medicine shows have caused a bad reaction.
Officials are pissed and now expressing dissatisfaction.
If the voters succeed
In re-criminalizing weed
Legitimate users can thank this new Tony Montana faction!
______________________________________________
Charles Ulysses Feney
Livingston, MT © 2010