Three bills debuted in the Montana Legislature during the week of March 29 with vastly different approaches for regulating voter-approved recreational marijuana in the state, and all of them moved forward after a week of whirlwind hearings that nearly left Republican leadership’s favored approach dead in committee. After Montana voters legalized the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana last year by ballot initiative, the Montana Legislature was tasked with implementing a program. The three major proposals -- House Bill 670, 701 and 707 -- are all sponsored by Republican lawmakers and are massive, varying in length from 42 pages to 144. None of the bills are drawing universal support, and many lawmakers expressed frustration as the bills were rushed through hearings and votes ahead of a key deadline on April 8. The proposals are not only dividing members of Montana’s existing medical marijuana industry, but also conservation groups, anti-marijuana advocates, hemp growers and tax analysts, as each bill offers a different take on how marijuana should be regulated and where a projected $52 million in annual tax revenue should go.