Idaho high court overturns law that may have hindered marijuana measures

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The Idaho Supreme Court overturned a new law that would have made it harder for independent campaigns to get their own ballot measures before voters, including a potential medical marijuana legalization question.

According to the Associated Press, the state’s high court rejected the law and found that it undermined the rights of Idaho voters.

The law, signed by the governor in April, required any proposed ballot measure campaign to gather at least 6% of signatures to qualify for the ballot from each of the state’s 35 legislative districts. The previous law required signatures from only 18 districts.

Critics said that the Republican authors of the law were attempting to make it harder for campaigns – such as a move to legalize MMJ in 2022 – to actually get measures on the ballot.

The state Supreme Court’s ruling found that the new law effectively gave each district “veto power” over proposed new laws.

But the court’s ruling means that the former law is now back in effect for all statewide ballot campaigns.

All types of cannabis remain illegal in Idaho, but the Legislature this year also killed a separate anti-MMJ legalization measure.