Montana law prohibits campaign groups from spending money to support one measure and oppose another. Pictured: Marijuana plants are grown outdoors at Los Sue–ños Farms in Colorado's Pueblo County. (Vince Chandler, Denver Post file)

Montana anti-marijuana group called out for breaking law on campaign spending

HELENA, Mont. — The Montana commissioner of political practices says an anti-marijuana ballot committee broke state law by spending money on more than one initiative.

Safe Montana’s ballot proposal to ban marijuana in the state failed to gather enough signatures to go before voters on Nov. 8. The group also spent money on billboards opposing a separate ballot measure to loosen the state’s medical marijuana law.

Commissioner Jon Motl says ballot committees are limited to participating in one issue, and the law prohibits Safe Montana from spending money to support one measure and oppose another.

Motl also wrote in Thursday’s decision that Safe Montana was late in filing reports, failed to produce records during the investigation and did not have proper attribution on its website.

Most sufficiency findings by Motl are resolved through negotiated settlements.