Idaho is one of the few states left in the United States of America where state elected officials and representatives refuse to listen to the people’s will. Change is inevitable. When we take a look at cannabis prohibition, it is easy to see that it was built on a foundation of racism, sexism, and lies. Supporting these many falsehoods and racist implementations makes political leaders in the state of Idaho look like total idiots.
I’m unaware if they truly realize how stupid they look in the public eye. Seriously, this is what you decided to take a stand for? Cannabis legalization is what you are attempting to keep the citizens of Idaho safe from? Who owns you, and why can you not listen to the will of the people? Is somebody’s hand so far up your rear end it’s blocking your ability to hear?
On one side of the spectrum, politicians in Idaho tried to initiate a constitutional ban of legal cannabis in the state of Idaho. Currently, Idaho is only one of three states that do not have some form of medical cannabis or recreational cannabis law in place. This doesn’t stop citizens in Idaho from using cannabis, though. Instead of risking getting busted buying weed in town from an undercover cop, people in the state of Idaho often drive across the state line where cannabis is legal for purchase. It’s kind of sad that an imaginary line divides these American citizens from the same freedom their neighbors enjoy next to them. Idaho activists have a fight in front of them in order to obtain the basic freedom to cannabis. When they say freedom isn’t free, they mean it. It will cost millions of dollars by the time it’s all said and done to ever see cannabis legalized in Idaho.
However, there are Idaho activists who are currently working to get an initiative on the 2022 State ballot that would decriminalize residents purchasing legal cannabis out of state and bringing it back to their private property. A joint resolution is seeking approval to ban all psychoactive drugs that were not already legal in the state. This list would only be changed if a drug was approved by the FDA.
It’s really sad that lawmakers in the state of Idaho want to continue to destroy families and arrest citizens for cannabis. Should activists successfully get their vote on the 2022 ballot, and it passes, it would allow adults 21 and up protection while transporting up to 3 oz of cannabis legally purchased from an out-of-state dispensary to their home. John Belville, a spokesman for the Idaho Citizens Coalition for Cannabis, was quoted telling media sources,
“Everyone knows Idahoans are driving across the border and bringing back home with them about $10 million worth of marijuana a month from legal stores. Every purchase in Oregon or Washington is a purchase not made from illegal marijuana deals in Idaho and we should incentive that, not penalize that.”
According to these numbers, citizens in Idaho would be consuming roughly $120 million a year in legal cannabis. That is a lot of quarter sacks and ounces. The fact that state elected representatives are still willing to punish citizens over cannabis shows me they are unfit for their job in office. A political position in office is not about supporting your own private agenda. That is what a dictator does. Those in political positions should represent the will of the people. A public official should be motivated and driven to help build a better community. I fail to see how keeping cannabis prohibition in a permanent place in Idaho builds a better community or future for the state.
Will the initiative to decriminalize cannabis make the 2022 ballot for the state of Idaho? Nobody really can say for sure. Maybe the federal government will step up and do the right thing removing cannabis from its current schedule one classification leaving the state with no choice but to join the rest of America in supporting cannabis legalization. In typical political fashion, in order for the initiative to make the state’s ballot, it needs an estimated 65,000 signatures collectively from each of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. Wouldn’t you know it, lawmakers recently passed a bill that increased the requirements making it necessary for an initiative to reach the ballot. The harder you try, sometimes the harder you fail. Hopefully, this will be the case with lawmakers in the state of Idaho when it comes to blocking legal access to cannabis.
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