Idaho bill would eliminate voter approval for marijuana legalization
- A House bill in Idaho, House Joint Resolution 4, is advancing to give the state legislature exclusive authority to legalize and regulate marijuana.
- The bill proposes a ballot referendum to amend the Idaho Constitution and eliminate the ability for voters to legalize marijuana through a ballot measure.
- The resolution must receive at least two-thirds approval in the Senate to qualify for the ballot.
- A separate ballot initiative called "Decriminalize Cannabis Now" is in the process of gathering signatures, with both measures potentially appearing on the 2026 ballot if they advance.
A House bill has advanced in Idaho that would give the state legislature the sole authority to legalize and regulate marijuana.
House Joint Resolution 4, ironically, would ask voters via a ballot referendum to amend the Idaho Constitution and eliminate their ability to legalize marijuana through a ballot measure, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
The resolution is headed to the Senate, where it must receive at least two-thirds approval to qualify for the ballot.
Meanwhile a separate ballot initiative, dubbed “Decriminalize Cannabis Now,” is in the signature gathering process, according to VoteIdaho.gov.
If both measures advance, then both questions would appear on the 2026 ballot, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
Idaho is one of only nine states that has yet to legalize medical or adult-use cannabis, according to MJBizDaily reporting.
Campaigns to legalize medical marijuana failed to make the ballot in 2022 and 2024.