Zabawa, who owns a car dealership in Billings, said Friday that initiative backers are trying to add clarity to Montana law.

“If it’s an illegal drug by the federal government, it should be illegal in Montana,” he said, adding, “The federal government trumps the state, so why do we want to put our citizens in jeopardy.”

***

The problem with the current law, he said, is that federal law enforcement officials came into Montana in 2011 and “hurt a lot of people who thought they were doing nothing wrong.”

He was referring to the federal raids at about two-dozen marijuana growing and selling operations around the state on the same day.

“When the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) says it’s safe, then it can be sold through our pharmacies with doctors who are trained on the legal drug to prescribe the right dosage amount for the right amount of time,” Zabawa said. “This protects all Montanans.”