A new law that would impose a mandatory minimum fine of $300 on anyone found guilty of possessing marijuana was passed by the Idaho House of Representatives on Tuesday, with the majority of the votes going along party lines.
House Bill 7 was passed by a vote of 54–14 after a protracted debate in the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.
The sponsor of House Bill 7 was Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa. Skaug claimed that an unidentified judge asked him to present the bill in order to impose a mandatory minimum penalty for simple possession of three ounces or less of marijuana.
Passing the law, according to Skaug, is a means of being strict on marijuana in a setting where the majority of Idaho’s bordering states permit the use of cannabis for medical or recreational purposes. While Utah provides medical cannabis, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Montana permit the sale and recreational use of cannabis.
According to Skaug, a number of Republican organizations and law enforcement groups, such as the Fraternal Order of Police, are in favor of the plan.
Additionally, Skaug stated on Tuesday that the state GOP, through a resolution, favors strict laws against marijuana and preventing its usage from becoming commonplace in our state. Not long ago, marijuana was illegal in all 50 states in the country.
If someone is debating this measure, could you please tell me which state has benefited from the legalization of marijuana? Skaug inquired. I don’t submit any.
The marijuana bill’s opponents argue that judges’ discretion in sentencing should be removed.Ilana Rubel, a Democrat from Boise, the House Minority Leader, spoke on Tuesday against the bill’s passage. According to Rubel, there is no justification for removing judges’ discretion or imposing obligatory minimum fines. According to Rubel, Jeremy Kitzhaber, a crippled veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is among the many Idahoans who would like to be able to use cannabis medicinally to relieve pain and increase appetite.
Last week, Kitzhaber, who has stage four illness, testified before a legislative committee that his doctors expressed their want for medicinal cannabis to be a legitimate therapeutic option for him. During his chemotherapy treatments, Kitzhaber lost over 40 pounds.
Rubel stated on Tuesday that (Kitzhaber) is in excruciating pain all the time and that opioids are his only option, which utterly ruined his system. Due to the effects of opioids on his system, he has actually had to be hospitalized multiple times, and cannabis is the only safe pain reliever he can use.
Once more, the purpose of this law is not medical cannabis; rather, it concerns whether we would further complicate the lives of people like Sgt. Kitzhaber. Rubel went on.
Ultimately, the bill was opposed by nine Democrats and five House Republicans. Democrats opposed the bill, as did Reps. Kevin Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs; Robert Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend; David Cannon, R-Blackfoot; Jack Nelson, R-Jerome; and Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint.
After consulting with a judge in his home district, Sauter stated that he was against the bill.
House Bill 606, an unsuccessful bill introduced by Skaug last year that would have established a mandatory minimum fine of $420 for marijuana possession, is comparable to this year’s marijuana obligatory minimum fee bill. After a number of lawmakers voiced their disapproval of taking away judges’ discretion, the House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee dropped House Bill 606 last year.House Bill 7 will be considered by the Idaho Senate next.
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