Few would call the Gem State progressive on anything, cannabis included. After a failure to pass similar legislation last year, Idaho lawmakers may finally have cemented the state as the least weed-friendly in the country. The latest bill to hit the Governor’s desk takes that label to new levels. The Idaho Senate passed House Bill 7 this week, which cements a mandatory $300 fine for all simple cannabis possession into law. That means having only weed. For example, a cop finds weed and is no intent to sell or guns present.
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This is the third bill featuring a mandatory fine for simple possession to be introduced into the Idaho House in the last two years. House Bill 559 kicked it off in February 2024, followed quickly by House Bill 606, which made a technical correction to its predecessor. The 2024 version of the bill posed a mandatory $420 fine. Representative Skaug presented the bill with a slurry of weed puns.
Minority Senate leader Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) questioned the “arbitrary nature” of the fine as it was discussed on the Senate floor.
“Research studies show that fines are not always a deterrent to behavior, and we know that legislation was (put forward) in another year that had the fine actually at $420 and that didn’t (pass), and now we’re at $300,” Wintrow said.
The Senate passed the bill 27 to 8. If signed, the legislation will not only set the highest minimum possession fine in the nation. Those caught with over three ounces of cannabis will receive a felony. Upon conviction, they could serve up to five years in jail or be subject to up to $10,000 in fines.
It remains to be seen whether this covers hemp-derived THC, THCA products, CBD oils, or other iterations of the hemp plant. The bill deems “marijuana,” “all parts of the plants of the genus Cannabis,” and “extract or preparation of cannabis which contains tetrahydrocannabinol” illegal. GreenState has sent multiple requests for clarity on this language via email and phone to Representative Skaug and others but has yet to receive a valuable response.
Idaho shares borders with Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. All but one of those states have some form of legal cannabis. Those who support the bill likely hope that the steep fines and punishments will keep Idahoans from traveling to neighboring border towns for their preferred products. At the very least, it will surely deter out-of-state tourists from being flippant with their weed on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
