Hearing on proposed drug amendment draws a crowd

BOISE — A proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting the legalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs prompted three hours of passionate testimony Monday.

The Senate State Affairs Committee took no action on the legislation because it ran out of time. It meets again Wednesday to decide whether to send the bill to the Senate floor for further action; no additional testimony will be accepted.

Sen. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, the primary sponsor of the amendment, said it was prompted by recent successful efforts that legalized medical and recreational marijuana in surrounding states.

“Recreational drug use destroys lives and ruins families,” he said. “It causes addiction, increases health care costs and increases violent crime.”

The legislation would create a new section in the Idaho Constitution that would prohibit the manufacture, sale, distribution or possession of any psychoactive drugs, unless they’re approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration and prescribed and dispenses by licensed practitioners.

Opponents said that language effectively bars medical marijuana from ever being allowed in Idaho.

“It will forever force people with serious health conditions to either live in pain and take opioids, or risk prosecution by going across the state line to obtain medical cannabis,” said Jeremy Kitzhaber, a U.S. Air Force veteran with terminal cancer.

“This bill would require FDA approval for medical marijuana, which will never happen,” he said. “No other state in the union requires FDA approval for medical cannabis. ... Nearly 80 percent of Idahoans support medical cannabis for people who are seriously ill. This bill doesn’t mirror what Idaho wants.”

Several medical and law enforcement associations spoke in favor of the legislation, as did a number of retired law enforcement officers and family members affected by drug addiction. They said it helps bar the door to increased drug use and addiction.

“The current laws that make these substances illegal are rooted in scientific evidence about addiction,” said Joseph Williams, a medical doctor and president of the Idaho Medical Association.

“Clinical research doesn’t provide adequate information that these (recreational) drugs provide the benefits that are popularly promulgated,” he said. “We shouldn’t let cultural trends dissuade us from the simple truth: that drug abuse — i.e., the recreational use of drugs — is dangerous and deadly.”

Nearly two dozen senators have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill,

If approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate, the amendment would go to voters in the 2022 general election, needing a simple majority to pass.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.