Boise, Idaho: State lawmakers have approved a resolution asking voters to provide legislators with the exclusive authority to amend state laws specific to the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana and other controlled substances.
Lawmakers in both chambers passed House Joint Resolution 4 along party lines. It asks voters to decide next year on the following ballot question: “Shall Section 26, Article III of the Constitution of the State of Idaho be amended to provide that only the Idaho Legislature shall have power and authority to legalize the growing, producing, manufacturing, transporting, selling, delivering, dispensing, administering, prescribing, distributing, possessing, or using of marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances?”
If enacted by voters, no future initiatives pertaining to how marijuana or other controlled substances are regulated will be permitted to appear on the Idaho ballot.
While the majority of Idahoans have expressed support for various drug policy reforms, such as the legalization of medical cannabis, GOP lawmakers who dominate the legislature remain steadfastly opposed to liberalizing the state’s marijuana laws. In February, Republican Gov. Brad Little signed legislation into law, making Idaho the only state to impose mandatory minimum penalties for low-level marijuana possession. That law takes effect in July.
A state-by-state guide to pending marijuana legislation is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.