Cannabis in Montana

Yes: adults 21 and older can legally buy and possess cannabis in Montana. Voters approved Initiative 190 in 2020, the Legislature wrote the rules in HB 701 (2021), and licensed dispensaries began adult-use sales on January 1, 2022. The Department of Revenue's Cannabis Control Division licenses every business and collects the tax. Sales are running at about $27 million a month: dispensaries sold $134.1 million from January through May 2026, with $120.4 million of that adult-use, according to the department's figures as reported by the Marijuana Herald.

A customer may buy and possess up to one ounce of flower, 8 grams of concentrate or 800 milligrams of THC in infused products. Adults may keep two mature plants and two seedlings at a private residence, with a household maximum of four of each under MCA 16-12-106, and registered patients may grow four and four. Anything above an ounce must be locked away, and plants must be out of sight from a public place. Adult-use sales carry a 20% state tax and medical sales 4%, and counties can add up to 3%.

Local choice matters. Counties that voted against I-190 in 2020 stay closed to recreational sales unless their voters opt in, so a "red" county can sit next to a "green" one with a shop. Senate Bill 27 (2025) froze the market footprint: no new licenses or premises until July 1, 2027, apart from those tied to existing sites. House Bill 636 caps infused products at 100 mg of THC per package and 5 mg per serving from July 1, 2026.

Public use is a civil violation with a fine of up to $50, and federal land, which includes Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, national forests and BLM land, is off limits. Crossing into Canada, Idaho, Wyoming or the Dakotas with cannabis is a federal offense, and tribal lands follow their own law. The state's tribal compact bill, HB 952, was vetoed in 2025. Check a dispensary against the Department of Revenue's records before you buy. This page is general information, not legal advice.