{"id":77683,"date":"2024-09-04T07:03:31","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T15:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/09\/04\/idaho-activists-prepare-marijuana-legalization-initiative-for-2026-after-falling-short-with-recent-medical-cannabis-attempts\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T19:45:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T03:45:44","slug":"idaho-activists-prepare-marijuana-legalization-initiative-for-2026-after-falling-short-with-recent-medical-cannabis-attempts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/09\/04\/idaho-activists-prepare-marijuana-legalization-initiative-for-2026-after-falling-short-with-recent-medical-cannabis-attempts\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Activists Prepare Marijuana Legalization Initiative For 2026 After Falling Short With Recent Medical Cannabis Attempts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After spending years trying unsuccessfully to qualify medical marijuana legalization initiatives for the ballot in Idaho, organizers are shifting their focus to a slimmed-down noncommercial cannabis legalization proposal, which they\u2019ll attempt to put before voters in 2026.<\/p>\n

The campaign Kind Idaho, which introduced medical marijuana ballot measures intended to go before voters in both the 2022 and 2024 elections, discussed the pivot with Marijuana Moment after announcing to supporters last month that they\u2019d failed to collect enough signatures to qualify the latest proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe basically found that we didn\u2019t have the resources necessary to continue to push it in the way that we needed to, and we weren\u2019t getting the response and the support we needed from the community,\u201d Joe Evans, the campaign\u2019s treasurer, said.<\/p>\n

Kind Idaho collected about 20,000 signatures, Evans said. Roughly 70,000 validated signatures were needed to qualify the initiative.<\/p>\n

Idaho has among the most restrictive state marijuana laws in the nation, with simple possession punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. As for CBD products, they must be completely free of THC\u2014even those with trace amounts, such as the 0.3 percent THC allowed in federally legal hemp products, are considered illicit marijuana in Idaho. Additionally, cultivation of even a single cannabis plant constitutes a felony.<\/p>\n

Despite nearly 2 in 3 Idahoans in support of medical legalization, said Evans, citing polling data from about two years ago, the campaign ran into both resource limitations as well as pushback on some elements of the medical measure.<\/p>\n

For one, the latest initiative proposal was \u201cseven pages, front and back,\u201d he said, which meant not only that it cost several dollars just to print each signature-gathering form but also that it could be unwieldy to explain to voters when gathering signatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt covered an entire medical program,\u201d Evans said, describing it as a \u201cwall of text\u201d being presented to would-be supporters about the role of the state Department of Health and Human Services, the procedure for adding new qualifying conditions to the program and other details.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Make Idaho Green \"💚\" (@kindidaho1)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Voters were also concerned about state registration for medical patients under the program, which Evans said raised worries relative to gun ownership, child custody, privacy and other rights that might be affected by medical marijuana registration.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, what government watch list are you willing to get on in order to be able to use your medicine?\u201d Evans said. \u201cAre you willing to give up your guns to do it? Because that\u2019s a real risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many people using marijuana in Idaho would rather \u201ckeep going across the border and buying recreationally,\u201d he added, \u201cand no one needs to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The neighboring states of Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington all have legal adult-use marijuana, while medical marijuana is legal Utah.<\/p>\n

The same two-year-old poll that showed majority support for medical legalization in the state showed even stronger backing for decriminalization, with about 8 in 10 voters in favor. After a representative from the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project suggested Kinda Idaho consider that path instead, the campaign decided to pivot.<\/p>\n

Under the planned changes, Evans said, \u201cwe\u2019re able to make the entire bill, the decrim initiative, a single page.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have to go through the issue of creating a medical program,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to put a burden upon the medical field here in the state of Idaho by making them supervise quantities and qualities and dosages and all of that. We don\u2019t invite the industry\u2014whether medical or recreational marijuana\u2014into the state, because we\u2019re not actually legalizing resale. We\u2019re just saying you can grow your own and you can be in possession of it, as long as you\u2019re not planning on reselling it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While details of the new proposal are still being hammered out\u2014the campaign plans to formally present the would-be initiative in the coming weeks\u2014the idea is to remove all criminal and civil penalties around marijuana consumption, possession and home cultivation for personal use. People would not be allowed to use cannabis in public, but they could carry up to either 1 ounce or 3 ounces on their person\u2014a limit still being finalized by organizers.<\/p>\n

Commercial legalization of marijuana for adults, by contrast, had only about 40 percent support in the earlier poll. \u201cThey don\u2019t want it sold here,\u201d Evans said of Idaho voters. \u201cThey just don\u2019t want people getting arrested for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kind Idaho plans to formally submit its new proposal to the secretary of state\u2019s office on September 17, triggering a roughly monthlong review period. Barring any major procedural hiccups, the campaign says it should be able to begin gathering signatures on November 1.<\/p>\n

Organizers will then have about 18 months to gather the roughly 70,000 valid voter signatures to put the measure on the 2026 ballot.<\/p>\n

Evans, a military veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the noncommercial legalization measure is aimed at aligning \u201cpatient advocacy, survivor advocacy and even criminal justice advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re able to reduce the signature that cannabis has in our criminal justice system as well as be able to facilitate for our patients and survivors who need it in order to get the assistance and help they need,\u201d Evans said, noting that about 6 in 10 people in state custody were put behind bars for drug offenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, admittedly, not all of those are marijuana,\u201d he added. \u201cBut this is one of those things [where] we can reduce the number of cannabis users who, through the process, acquire a police record.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, a separate group of activists began gathering signatures for a similar ballot initiative that would have allowed adults to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana on private property<\/a>, though home cultivation would have been prohibited.<\/p>\n

Though the measure didn\u2019t make Idaho\u2019s ballot, the idea was for consumers to be able to buy cannabis in neighboring states that have legal retail operations and then bring back the product to be consumed privately at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we\u2019re asking [voters] to do is to accept what people were already doing: driving across the border legally purchasing marijuana and bringing it home to smoke,\u201d organizer Russ Belville said at the time. \u201cIf Idaho still wants to give away the tax money, that\u2019s fine. But we shouldn\u2019t spend more tax money trying to arrest people in a futile attempt to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawmakers in Idaho, meanwhile, have in recent months weighed ways to further tighten the state\u2019s prohibition on marijuana.<\/p>\n

A bill from Rep. Bruce Skaug (R) earlier this year, for example, would have set a $420 mandatory minimum fine for cannabis possession<\/a>, removing judges\u2019 discretion to apply lower penalties. Skaug said the bill, which ultimately stalled in committee, would send the message that Idaho is tough on marijuana.<\/p>\n

House lawmakers also passed a bill to ban marijuana advertisements<\/a>, though the Senate later defeated the measure.<\/p>\n

As for Kind Idaho\u2019s latest medical cannabis proposal, the campaign submitted initial paperwork for the initiative back in 2022<\/a>, noting that the proposal was \u201cessentially identical\u201d to one the group filed two years earlier<\/a> but which similarly failed to make the ballot.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the\u00a0proposed ballot initiative<\/a> would have accomplished:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allow access to cannabis for registered patients with chronic diseases or conditions, or for people with a terminal illness who doctors say have less than a year to live. Fees for one-year registration cards could not exceed $100.<\/p>\n

Allow qualified patients or caretakers to possess up to four ounces of marijuana, defined as all parts of the cannabis plant, including derivatives, containing \u201cany of the chemical substances classified as tetrahydrocannabinols, (THC).<\/p>\n

Enable patients or their caregivers who qualify for a \u201chardship cultivation designation\u201d to grow up to six cannabis plants in an enclosed, locked facility. Hardship designations would be granted based on financial hardship, inability to travel to a dispensary or the lack of a dispensary near a patient\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

Qualify patients with cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Chron\u2019s disease, Alzheiemer\u2019s disease, PTSD, inflammatory bowel disease, Huntington\u2019s disease or Tourette syndrome. Patients would also be eligible with any medical condition or treatment that produces cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or persistent muscle spasms. Further qualifying conditions could be added by regulators, including in response to a petition from any Idaho resident.<\/p>\n

License medical marijuana retail dispensaries, production facilities, and safety compliance facilities. Applications would be evaluated based on a ranked scoring system, and facilities could not be located within 1,000 feet of schools.<\/p>\n

Establish a 4 percent excise tax on cannabis sales to patients or caregivers. After covering the costs of the program, half the remaining proceeds would go to the Idaho Division of Veterans Services, and the other half would flow into the state\u2019s general fund.<\/p>\n

Empower the Department of Health and Welfare to license and regulate the state\u2019s medical marijuana program, requiring it to adopt rules within 120 days of the measure becoming law.<\/p>\n

Cities and counties could also set their own zoning ordinances and regulations.<\/p>\n

Allow medical marijuana cardholders from other states to access the program.<\/p>\n

Prohibit certain forms of discrimination against cannabis patients, or others involved in legal cannabis conduct, in education, housing, state and local gun laws, medical care and employment. Under state law surrounding discrimination, marijuana would be treated similarly to prescribed pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n

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Trump Met With Top Marijuana Company CEO And Florida GOP Senator Before Supporting Legalization Measure<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Idaho Activists Prepare Marijuana Legalization Initiative For 2026 After Falling Short With Recent Medical Cannabis Attempts<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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After spending years trying unsuccessfully to qualify medical marijuana legalization initiatives for the ballot in Idaho, organizers are shifting their focus to a slimmed-down noncommercial cannabis legalization proposal, which they\u2019ll attempt to put before voters in 2026. The campaign Kind Idaho, which introduced medical marijuana ballot measures intended to goContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":77684,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77683"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77685,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77683\/revisions\/77685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}