BOZEMAN - Recreational marijuana sales became legal this year in Montana, but that doesn’t mean it’s allowed everywhere.

It’s still against policy if a student 21 years or older purchases marijuana and takes it onto Montana State University or University of Montana's campus.

“We certainly recognize the new dynamic with dispensaries all around campus and across the river downtown. So, you know, last spring was a learning opportunity for us, but there were no major incidents,” University of Montana communications director Dave Kuntz said.

The short answer is the federal government hasn’t legalized recreational marijuana. MSU says since they receive federal funds, they must adhere to all federal laws.

The University of Montana has the same policy.

Flathead County commissioners will hold a public hearing on Wednesday seeking opinions on marijuana sales in the county.

The meeting is set for 9 a.m. at the Historic Courthouse, 800 S. Main St. in Kalispell. The hearing comes a week after commissioners approved resolutions asking voters whether to implement a 3% tax on marijuana sales.

Cannabis telemedicine is now a reality for folks in Montana thanks to a platform called NuggMD, already available in several states.

Telemedicine is a modern-day solution to healthcare problems for those in rural parts of the world, and now cannabis telemedicine also exists. Folks in Montana now have access to a platform called NuggMD that connects state licensed medical marijuana doctors to patients virtually. 

Recreational and medical cannabis sales in Montana this year have reached nearly $150 million.

Recreational pot sales continue to soar in Big Sky Country, with Montana reporting a record high total last month.

The state’s Department of Revenue reported that adult-use cannabis sales in Montana totaled more than $17 million in the month of June—the highest figure since recreational pot sales began in January.

Between recreational and medical pot, Montana has generated nearly $150 million in combined cannabis sales this year. According to local news station NBC Montana, the combined recreational and medical sales have generated nearly $21 million in state taxes so far this year.

On Monday night, the Billings City Council brought its marijuana laws in line with state marijuana laws and lowered the age a person can work for or own a marijuana business from 21 to 18.

The city has the right to establish an age requirement for marijuana business license holders and their employees, but voted 8-3 to lower the minimum age to 18.

The 21-year-old age requirement prompted the Billings dispensary, Montana Advanced Caregivers, to file a lawsuit against the city earlier this month. The dispensary employs three people who are older than 18, but not yet 21.

For years now we have heard Jon Tester and Steve Daines declare themselves “coal state senators” whenever they so willingly vote against measures to reduce or tax the use of coal and its planet-killing pollution. But as recently released data show, the state and local tax revenue and number of jobs created by Montana’s legalization of recreational and medical marijuana now outpace coal — a trend that is expected to continue.

New rules in Montana help clear up confusion over how those previously convicted for pot-related offenses can get their records cleared.

The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday issued temporary rules related to expungement procedures for individuals previously convicted for a pot-related offense.

As reported by local television station KPAX, the new adult-use recreational cannabis law in Montana “says anyone convicted of an offense that would now be legal in the state can petition to have their conviction removed from their record, get a lesser sentence for it or reclassify it to a lesser offense.”

On Tuesday, per Montana Public Radio, the high court “approved temporary rules that outline procedures for expunging or revising marijuana-related convictions.”

We have made it through January which means we're already one month into legal recreational marijuana sales. The Montana Department of Revenue released its sales numbers this morning. Montana brought in $12.8 million in marijuana sales for its first month.

Adam Ryder, owner of Juniper Cannabis in Bozeman and Belgrade says recreational marijuana sales were pretty much what they expected.

 “Largely speaking it was about what we expected, certainly the first week was pretty intense,” says Ryder.

The first weekend alone sales topped $1.5 million. In the first full week, recreational sales were just $2.9 million. For Ryder’s downtown store location, tourism in the valley has been a driver of sales.