Activist group Idaho Citizens Coalition for Cannabis received approval from the Idaho Secretary of State to start collecting signatures for their newly revised and resubmitted ballot measure. Earlier this month, the group received suggestions from Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, R, on how to make sure their measure followed the single-subject clause. Any single-subject clause indicates any law or amendment proposed can only be about one thing, such as legalizing cannabis possession and nothing more. The Attorney General also commented on ways for the measure to avoid any constitutional challenges.
“We’re excited to get started with this initiative,” Russ Belville said. He’s a longtime reform advocate leading this latest measure effort and currently leads the Idaho Citizens Coalition for Cannabis. In addition to door to door collection methods, Belville said there will be public events for signature collecting at places like Hyde Park in Boise.
PAMDA
Russ Belville took the Attorney General’s suggestions into consideration and reworked the measure. Called the Personal Adult Marijuana Discriminalition Act (PAMDA), it would allow citizens over 21 to possess up to three ounces of cannabis on them at one time.
However, unlike other legalization laws, Idaho citizens can’t purchase or sell recreational cannabis within the state. They can only possess it. Citizens would not grow their own plants at home.
The point of PAMDA is to legalize cannabis transportation from neighboring states to a person’s private home, where individuals can enjoy their purchases privately.
“All we’re 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,” Belville said. “If Idaho still wants to give away the tax money, that’s fine. But we shouldn’t spend more tax money trying to arrest people in a futile attempt to stop them.”
Complications
In April, Governor Brad Little, R, signed S1110. This bill expanded what activists needed to go through to get ballot measures approved. Originally, only six percent of signatures had to come from 18 districts. Now, six percent of signatures collected must come from all 35 districts.
S1110 is currently being challenged in federal court in two different lawsuits. However, whatever the outcome, it will affect PAMDA’s signature collecting process. The group must collect 65,000 valid signatures by May 1, 2022 for the measure to make the ballot.
Future
In addition to collecting signatures for the recreational cannabis possession measure, there is another measure for medical cannabis. Kind Idaho also started collecting signatures for medical cannabis legalization for qualifying patients in March.
Idaho activists are making efforts to put cannabis into the hands of citizens. They won’t be the last state to legalize cannabis like they were with hemp. Only this year did Governor Little sign a hemp legalization bill. The narrative of cannabis is changing and activists are bringing that change to the forefront.
Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.