Idaho voters rejected ballot proposal HJR 4 by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. The proposal would have amended the state constitution so that the public would no longer have any say in determining Idaho’s marijuana policies.
Lawmakers placed HJR 4 on the midterm ballot in response to an effort by activists to place a medical marijuana legalization measure on the 2026 ballot. That effort ultimately failed to collect the necessary number of signatures to qualify.
Voters will retain their ability to petition for changes to the state’s cannabis laws.
Additional information on Election Day results is available from NORML’s Election Central.
“HJR 4 wasn’t anti-marijuana; it was anti-democracy,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said.
“In a healthy democracy, those with competing visions on public policy vie for voters’ support. But Idaho lawmakers know that they can no longer make a rational case for the state’s prohibitive and punitive marijuana policies policies that are out of step not only with most other states, but also with most Idahoans,” Armentano said.
“Rather than evolve their views to align with those of their constituents, Idaho lawmakers cynically asked Idahoans to relinquish one of the most fundamental powers they have in a free society: their power to vote. Fortunately, voters overwhelmingly rejected this authoritarian proposal,” he continued.
Idaho is one of only a handful of states that make no allowances for patients’ use of medical cannabis products, despite supermajority public support for medical marijuana access.
The state is also among the only states imposing mandatory minimum penalties for first-time marijuana possession offenders.
Idaho’s marijuana laws remain unchanged following the election, with prohibition and mandatory minimums still in effect.
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