Montana voters pass Initiative 148 by 61.81% to legalize medical marijuana
On November 2, 2004, Montana voters approved Initiative 148 by a 61.81% to 38.19% landslide, joining Vermont (which enacted medical cannabis via its legislature in May 2004) as the ninth and tenth…
On Election Day, November 2, 2004, Montana voters approved Initiative 148 (I-148)—the Montana Medical Marijuana Act—by a vote of 61.81% Yes (276,042 votes) to 38.19% No (170,579 votes). Paired with Vermont, where lawmakers enacted a medical cannabis registry earlier that year in May 2004, Montana brought the number of U.S. medical marijuana states to ten.
What Initiative 148 established in Montana
- Patient & caregiver limits: Qualifying patients registered with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (or their designated caregivers) were permitted to possess up to 1 ounce of usable cannabis and cultivate up to 6 marijuana plants.
- The 2011–2016 legislative battle and I-182: After Montana’s caregiver program grew rapidly between 2008 and 2010, the state legislature passed a restrictive overhaul in 2011 (SB 423) that nearly shut down commercial dispensaries once the Montana Supreme Court upheld parts of the restrictions in 2016. Montana voters responded on November 8, 2016 by approving Initiative 182 with 57.7% Yes to restore licensed medical dispensaries—four years before legalizing full adult use under I-190 in 2020.
Originally reported by Montana Secretary of State
Sources (2)
- Montana Secretary of State, Official General Election Canvass — November 2, 2004 (Initiative 148: 276,042 Yes / 61.81% to 170,579 No / 38.19%). https://ballotpedia.org/Montana_Medical_Marijuana_Allowance,_I-148_(2004)
- Vermont Act 135 (2004), enacting Vermont's medical cannabis registry in May 2004.
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