A proposed constitutional amendment giving state lawmakers sole discretion over legalizing marijuana is heading to the state senate.
If approved, Idahoans could no longer legalize marijuana or any other drug through a ballot initiative – something long feared by Republican legislators, law enforcement and the state’s farm bureau organization.
Sen. Scott Grow (R-Eagle) said the state needs these restrictions to keep families safe from marijuana.
“The drugs that we’re dealing with today aren’t the Cheech and Chong stuff of my era back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. These are high potency drugs,” Grow said.
He’s sponsored similar failed constitutional amendments in recent years.
Alex Joye Grenier from Star was one of many people who supported the measure.
He said crime rates have exploded in the border town of Ontario, Oregon since it allowed retail sales of marijuana in 2018 compared to the nearby town of Payette.
“High crime in Idaho is only one bad ballot initiative and six miles away,” Joye Grenier said.
Joseph Evans, a former Libertarian congressional candidate in Idaho and supporter of a medical marijuana ballot initiative, was the only person who opposed the amendment.
Evans said medical marijuana has significant benefits for patients, like veterans with PTSD.
“What we’re offering here is a natural remedy and creating the opportunity for people to continue to seek help,” he said.
Evans said other illegal hallucinogens and stimulants, like psilocybin, MDMA and ayahuasca, could benefit patients if they were legalized.
The legislation easily cleared the committee. It needs support from two-thirds of state senators before it could appear on the 2026 ballot.
Copyright 2025 Boise State Public Radio
