State asks court to lift hold on medical pot law

HELENA (AP) — Montana prosecutors are asking the state Supreme Court to lift a district judge's block of portions of a new state law meant to restrict the sale of medical marijuana.

Judge James Reynolds in June issued an injunction that prevented key parts of the bill from becoming law, including a ban on marijuana providers from making a profit.

He also blocked a ban on medical marijuana advertising, unannounced searches of providers and investigations into doctors who recommend marijuana for more than 25 patients in a year.

The state is appealing the injunction to the state's highest court. Assistant attorney general Jim Molloy says in his Wednesday filing that the state is within its rights to determine the conditions under which it makes marijuana legal for medical purposes.