STATE PROGRAMS

Montana

Last Updated: April 2022

Montana Green Check Verified

Montana Program Overview

Programs

Dispensaries

  • Adult use sales will begin starting on January 1, 2022.
  • Per the latest information from the state (September 2021):
    • Providers: 296
    • Dispensaries: 434
    • Marijuana Infused Product Provider (MIPP): 222
    • Pending Business Applications: 13
    • Laboratories: 5
  • In counties where the majority of voters supported Initiative 190 (known as the Montana Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act) in November 2020, adult use sales may occur in January 2022. In counties where the majority of voters opposed Initiative 190, adult use sales will remain prohibited.
  • Montana’s medical marijuana industry is vertically integrated. This means a licensee must cultivate or manufacture all medical marijuana products they will sell. There is no wholesaling or processing between providers.

License Types

  • Dispensary
  • Cultivator (Provider)
    • Micro Tier, Tiers 1 – 12
      • Based on maximum square footage and indoor facilities allowed
  • Manufacturer (Marijuana Infused Product Provider or MIPP)
    • Tier 1-3
      • Based on maximum allowed amount of concentrate produced per month
  • Testing Lab (with or without a storage endorsement)
  • Transporter (with or without a storage endorsement)
  • Combined Use (for tribal businesses only)

Geography

  • Wyoming – No cannabis program; CBD allowed.
  • Idaho – No cannabis program; CBD allowed.
  • North Dakota – Medical ONLY.
  • South Dakota – Medical ONLY.

Regulatory Agencies

Financial Institutions

  • Credit Union: 10
  • Banks: 38

Banking Guidance

Per Montana House Bill 701 passed on May 18, 2021:

  • The department shall if technology allows, require use of a mandatory semicashless payment system occurring at the point of sale for all dispensaries. Adult-use dispensaries and medical marijuana dispensaries are required to utilize a semicashless point of sale system when selling marijuana and marijuana products to consumers or registered cardholders. The department [of Revenue] may establish by rule the requirements, standards, and private company that a licensee must use when utilizing such a system in a dispensary. The semicashless processor is authorized to make deposits to an account specified by the department [of Revenue] for tax collection.
  • The department [of Revenue] is authorized to share seed-to-sale information with the licensee’s depository institution, and any other government agency, of the semicashless processor.

  • Adult use sales began on January 1, 2022.
  • Adults over the age of 21 may:
    • Possess 1 ounce of marijuana flower.
    • Possess 8 grams of marijuana in concentrated form.
    • Plant and cultivate up to 4 mature marijuana plants and 4 seedlings. Cultivated plants must be kept in a locked space.
  • The Department of Revenue began accepting applications for adult use licenses by October 1, 2021. For the first 12 months after the department starts accepting applications for licenses, only current medical marijuana providers, medical marijuana infused products providers, and dispensaries may apply.

  • A registered patient may:

    • Purchase a maximum of 5 ounces of usable marijuana a month.

    • Purchase no more than 1 ounce of usable marijuana a day.

    • Have up to 16 ounces (1 pound) of marijuana at home and possess up to 1 ounce of usable marijuana.

    • Grow marijuana at 4 mature and 4 seedling plants per patient, or with a maximum of 8 mature and 8 seedling plants per household if there are multiple cardholders. Cultivated plants must be kept in a locked space.

  • Patients may submit a Petition for Exception to the Monthly Purchase Limits, it must be signed by the same physician that signed the cardholder’s written certification. If the department approves an exception to the cap, the approval must establish the monthly amount of usable marijuana that the cardholder may purchase and the limit must be entered into the seed-to-sale tracking system. The department may approve increases to the monthly purchase limits up to a maximum of 8 ounces of usable marijuana or its equivalent in marijuana-infused products.

  • The Department of Revenue shall issue a registry identification card to a minor provided that the minor has a custodial parent or legal guardian responsible for the health care decisions of the minor. Requirements are included here.

State Cannabis Regulatory Authority
Cannabis – Adult

Mailing Address:

Montana Department of Revenue

Cannabis Control Division

PO Box 5835

Helena, MT 59604-5805

Phone:

(406) 444-0596

Fax:

(406) 444-4110

Email:

DORCCD@mt.gov

Contacts:

Phone:

(406) 444-6900

Fax:

Questions can also be emailed to:

https://mtrevenue.gov/contact/

Cannabis – Medical

Mailing Address:

Montana Department of Revenue

Cannabis Control Division

PO Box 5835

Helena, MT 59604-5805

Phone: (406) 444-0596 | (406) 444-6900

Fax:

(406) 444-4110

Email:

DORCCD@mt.gov

Questions can also be emailed to:

https://mtrevenue.gov/contact/

State Banking Regulatory Authority

Address:

Montana Department of Administration

Banking and Financial Institutions

301 S. Park Ave, Suite 316

Helena, MT 59601

https://banking.mt.gov/

Email:

banking@mt.gov

Phone:

406-841-2920

Fax:

406-841-2930