Deadline to submit signatures to the state for verification is April 30
Supporters of a proposed medical cannabis ballot initiative in Idaho said they have gathered more than 100,000 signatures and are making a final push in hopes of qualifying the proposal for November’s general election ballot by the April 30 deadline.
A group called the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho is hoping to legalize medical cannabis as a treatment option for Idahoans with debilitating medical conditions like cancer, post traumatic stress disorder, AIDS, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.
Under Idaho law, cannabis means the same thing as marijuana, and the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
Currently, all forms of cannabis are illegal in Idaho but recreational marijuana or medical cannabis are available in all of Idaho’s bordering states other than Wyoming.
Supporters said they want to legalize medical cannabis to give people with serious medical conditions and chronic pain an alternative to opioid medications.
“We’ve had hundreds of people email us about how they’re suffering with PTSD or they’re suffering with epilepsy and they’re driving across the border and illegally buying gummies because they would like some dignity in their care, in their state, but they can’t get it, and they’re still accessing these things because they’re right there and available,” said Amanda Watson, a Boise-based spokeswoman for the initiative. “This framework would allow for really strong regulation, restricted access and it’s a medical program.”
Opposition is being led by the Republican-controlled Idaho Legislature, which is pushing a competing marijuana measure on November’s ballot and is calling for voters to reject the medical cannabis ballot initiative.
“The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act lacks safeguards to such an extent that it would effectively legalize widespread recreational use of marijuana,” Idaho legislators warned in a resolution adopted earlier this month.
