Yellowstone County might be asked to vote once again on the issue of allowing businesses to sell marijuana in the county or whether to tax marijuana sales at 3 percent.
Yellowstone County Commissioners set public hearings to consider the two issues on August 3 in their conference room at 9:30 a.m.
On Monday, during a discussion meeting, county commissioners were urged to consider the option of putting the issue on the November ballot, by city officials and opponents of legalizing the drug. City Administrator Chris Kukulski pointed out that it wouldn’t make much sense for the city and county to be on opposite sides of the issue.
Last week, the Billings City Council voted to place the matter before city voters on the November ballot.
Two city council members and members of “SafeMontana” have hopes of overturning the voter support of legalizing recreational marijuana in the county of the general election of Nov. 3, 2020.
“What have we got to lose? “said Steve Zabawa, who has long opposed the legalization of the drug.
City Councilwoman Pam Purinton said she is concerned by the rising crime rate in Billings as the presence of drug cartels and black market activity has increased. With the city and county legalizing the sale of marijuana, the cartels and black markets are “literally being invited into our community,” she said. The dollars from the taxes of the sale of marijuana will not be adequate to pay for the costs incurred because of increased crime, said Purinton, “We will not be able to tax ourselves enough.”
“It is scary what is happening with young kids,” said Frank Ewalt, also a city council member, as he urged a re-vote. “If we win, then we will win,” he said.
Allowing businesses to sell marijuana was approved with the statewide approval of voters of I-190 last fall.
The 2021 State Legislature gave counties the option, with passage of HB 701, of choosing to go with the results of their county’s vote last November or putting the issue before voters again. Voters in Yellowstone County passed I-90 by about 4000 votes.
Zabawa said that voters were “snookered” in that campaign, in which local opponents were outspent by millions of dollars that flowed into the state from out-of-state to donors to fund the campaign of the proponents. In an email informing recipients about the Monday meeting, Zabawa reminded, SafeMontana’ s recent poll of “yes I-190 voters” showed that most “would have never voted for this neighbor family tragedy if they would have known the truth….up to 28% of the yes voters would have voted no!”
Commissioners will be accepting comments from the public from now through August 3 and the public will have the opportunity to testify at the hearings.
