Boise, ID: Legislation took effect this week imposing new mandatory fines for people convicted of minor marijuana possession offenses.
Under the new law, offenders must pay a minimum fine of $300. Those convicted may also face up to one year in jail.
Republican Gov. Brad Little signed the legislation into law in February. Lawmakers claimed the mandatory fines are necessary because too many judges were refusing to impose fines for first-time offenders. Idaho is the only state to impose mandatory minimum penalties for first-time, low-level marijuana possession offenders.
Between 2018 and 2023, Idaho police made over 31,000 marijuana-related arrests. Over 94 percent of those arrests were for marijuana possession, not sales. Approximately half of all drug-related arrests in Idaho are marijuana-related.
Idaho lawmakers also passed a resolution this session providing the legislature with exclusive authority to decide marijuana policy. The resolution will appear as a ballot question next year.
A summary of Idaho’s marijuana laws and penalties, and year-over-year marijuana arrest data are available from NORML.