As many states in the nation turn to legalizing hemp, medical marijuana, and even recreational marijuana, Idaho lawmakers are having the opposite reaction. This past week, Senator C. Scott Grow (R) introduced an amendment to legally ban all psychoactive drugs no matter their benefit or intended uses. Introducing an amendment seems to be almost an extreme because reform is being encouraged nationwide. Idaho lawmakers are adamant that they are making the right choice for its citizens. Idaho fights national trend and plans to ban all psychoactive substances.

The Amendment

Those in favor of this new amendment stated that by banning psychoactive drugs, it would help to keep drugs out of the hands of children and keep families intact. In addition, more regulation and testing would be given to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is in order create better practices for everyone in Idaho. However, many argue that handing more control over to the FDA would negatively impact citizens and the state overall. One drug continuously brought up was marijuana. Many lawmakers have stated that marijuana is a gateway drug to more intense and harmful drugs, like heroin or LSD.

Those opposed to the amendment are saying that this ban would hurt citizens in the state. One nurse reported that not all opioid options work for everyone. They have personally seen treatment not work in their patients. However, they’ve seen marijuana help relieve pain. Others said that this amendment would force citizens to cross borders to other states where cannabis is legal. Additionally, citizens could even leave the state altogether because of this ban. This could negatively impact the state’s economy and revenue.

Of all the states bordering Idaho, all but Wyoming offer medical marijuana to its citizens. Beyond that, all of those states that legalized medical marijuana except for Utah have legalized recreational cannabis. There are many options for Idaho citizens to go and get cannabis in legal ways, then bring it back.

Future Outlook

Not surprsingly, Idaho is one of the few states that also hasn’t legalized hemp growth and consumption. This comes even after the USDA passed the Farm Bill in 2018 to make hemp federally legal. The Farm Bill separately defined hemp and marijuana, something that hadn’t been done since the Controlled Substances Act in the 1970s. This Act labeled all parts of the cannabis plant as a Schedule I drug. It didn’t matter if the product had psychoactive properties to it or not. The entire cannabis plant became labelled a danger to the general public.

In order to pass a new amendment, the Senate and the House need to pass the amendment with a two-thirds majority. Both chambers currently have a Republican majority. The vote in the House will be tomorrow, Wednesday January 27. The vote originally was planned for this past Monday the 25th. However, the vote became delayed delayed after lawmakers listened to two hours of public testimony for and against the amendment. So as Idaho fights the national trend of legalizing marijuana, activists are fighting back. They have already begun the signature collection process.

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