Voters speak decisively at polls

Montana was decisive with its voting on the slate of initiatives appearing on this year’s ballot, with each measure passing or failing by double-digit margins.

A ballot issue to expand access to medical marijuana garnered support from 57 percent of voters statewide. Montana’s backing of this action isn’t surprising, considering the national trend to loosen restrictions on the drug both medically and recreationally. Florida, North Dakota and Arkansas all approved medical marijuana initiatives Tuesday, while voters in California, Massachusetts and Nevada approved recreational marijuana initiatives.

The measure approved by Montana voters will roll back restrictions set out in 2011, allowing marijuana dispensaries to reopen and repealing the state’s limit of three patients per provider — a constraint that has been blamed for cutting off thousands of patients’ access to the drug.

The vote confirms that most Montanans believe medical marijuana is a viable option to help treat chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder, among many other qualifying conditions. With that endorsement, it only makes sense to give patients reasonable access to their medicine.

Voters on Tuesday also approved Initiative 116, or Marsy’s Law, ensuring that crime victims’ rights are protected by law. The measure was supported by 65 percent of voters.

Marsy’s Law gives victims equal constitutional rights as those accused of the crime, including to be notified of major developments in a case and to be notified of changes to the offender’s custodial status. A bill of rights for crime victims, as long as it’s not a burden on the courts, is the right thing to do. We suspect this one will end up in court itself for a final decision.

In another predictable result, Montana swiftly rejected a ballot proposal to fund up to $200 million in grants over the next decade to research brain diseases and mental illnesses. About 57 percent of voters marked no to reject the initiative.

To be sure, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain diseases and illnesses impact tens of thousands of families across the state. Research on these diseases is important. But opponents to this ballot proposal correctly pointed to a flawed funding mechanism that would have indebted taxpayers and taken critical resources away from other public priorities like education, infrastructure and health care. Plus, Montana is not likely to solve any of these diseases on its own.

Not surprisingly, the hotly debated ballot measure to ban trapping on public lands failed with 62 percent of voters saying no to the proposal. This one seemed far-reaching from the outset and may not have even been constitutional. And excluding a historic user group from access to public lands will always be a tough sell in Montana.

Supporters had an eye on protecting pets and wildlife from being harmed by a trap or snare — a noble goal that might be better achieved through expanded trapper education opportunities or even harsher penalties for illegally set traps and snares.