Idaho bill would eliminate voter approval for marijuana legalization

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.

ADVERTISEMENT 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. ADVERTISEMENT 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....