An advocacy group has begun a petition to put a medical cannabis ballot measure before Idaho voters in 2024.
The group behind the initiative, Kind Idaho, posted a Facebook Live video Aug. 16 in which they stated they had filed paperwork with the Idaho secretary of state and anticipate state officials to provide any requests for necessary changes to the paperwork in the next five weeks.
Kind Idaho also shared a photo of a letter that group Chair Jackee Winters and Treasurer Joseph Evans submitted to Secretary of State Lawerence Denney Aug. 16 in which they stated the initiative is “essentially identical” to one submitted by Kind Idaho two years ago.
The 2024 initiative proposes that medical cannabis patients in the state could possess up to 4 ounces of cannabis, according to Law360.
Dispensaries would need to be more than 1,000 feet from private and public schools, and local governments could further dictate zoning for cannabis businesses, according to the news outlet. A 4% excise tax would be attached to gross receipts for products sold by dispensaries, in addition to state and local taxes.
Patients with debilitating conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Crohn’s disease would qualify for medical cannabis, per Law360.
The group plans to begin gathering signatures Nov. 1, Evans said in the Facebook Live video. In the meantime, they are seeking volunteers, Winters said, as well as funding for items such as black pens and legal paper through the Idaho Central Credit Union.
To place a measure on the Idaho ballot, 6% of the registered voters in the state’s most recent general election must sign, and signatures must be distributed to equal at least 6% of registered voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts, according to Ballotpedia and referenced by Law360.
