BOZEMAN — Marijuana has been legal for recreational use in Montana since 2021, and dispensaries have become a common sight in cities like Bozeman.
But a recent traffic stop in Belgrade is raising questions about whether a black market still operates alongside the state’s regulated industry.
Belgrade Police Chief Dustin Lensing said officers seized 37 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop involving a 22-year-old Bozeman man. According to charging documents, officers also found methamphetamine and crack cocaine in the vehicle. The man was charged with intent to distribute.
“Thirty-seven pounds is unlawful to possess,” Lensing said.
WATCH: With legalization, why does Montana still see black market cannabis?
“We haven’t seen a drug seizure like that — especially with the marijuana stuff — in a long time.”
Lensing said that since legalization, black market marijuana has not been a significant issue locally. Still, the size of the seizure prompted broader concerns about how illegal marijuana activity may affect licensed businesses operating under state regulations.
Mariah Bond, executive director of the Montana Cannabis Coalition, said illegal products can harm not only individual businesses but the industry’s reputation as a whole. The coalition is a newly formed group of cannabis owners and operators that works on legislative issues affecting the regulated market.
“Coming together as an industry and all of this talking about what we are seeing on a day-to-day basis,” Bond said of the coalition’s efforts.
Bond said if consumers become sick from unregulated marijuana products, it can reflect poorly on licensed dispensaries.
“If there’s a black market product and a consumer were to get their hands on it, and that were to make them sick, it gets tied back to the regulated market,” she said.
She added that even lawmakers who oppose marijuana legalization should recognize the role regulation plays in public safety.
“You cannot fully support it without supporting the regulated market because we are actually keeping people safer,” Bond said.
Lensing said some illegal marijuana products may include synthetic blends, which can pose additional health risks.
The Missouri River Drug Task Force said it does not handle marijuana cases. However, both the task force and Lensing said large seizures like the recent 37-pound case often indicate interstate trafficking.
“It can be transported to other states — neighboring states or other states in the country where marijuana is not legal and in high demand and harder to come by,” Lensing said.
Bond said purchasing marijuana legally supports consumer safety and contributes tax revenue to the state.
“There is a way to get it in safe means that is taxed, and bringing our state revenue is actually really important because if we don’t do that, they are still going to get it somewhere else,” she said.
