Tag: idaho

Supporters Call on Idaho Lawmakers to Override Governor’s Veto of Bill Prohibiting Medical Mandates

Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Saturday vetoed a bill passed by Idaho lawmakers that would have prohibited nearly all medical mandates in the state.

The Idaho Medical Freedom Act was meant to “protect the rights of Idahoans to make their own medical choices free of the fear of losing their jobs or being excluded from normal daily life,” according to the bill’s author, Leslie Manookian, president and founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund.

The bill, cosponsored by Sen. Daniel Foreman and Rep. Robert Beiswenger, would have prohibited businesses and Idaho local, county and state governments from requiring medical interventions for employment, admission to venues, transportation, or providing products or services.

It also would have blocked schools and colleges in the state from requiring medical interventions for school attendance or entry into campus buildings.

The Idaho House of Representatives passed the bill March 19 in a 47-23 vote, after the Senate voted 19-14 on Feb. 26 in favor of the legislation.

Little vetoed the bill Saturday morning, an hour before the deadline. “Medical freedom is an Idaho value,” Little wrote in a letter explaining his veto, but he said the bill would have jeopardized “the ability of schools to send home sick students with highly contagious conditions.”

Little listed medical freedom measures he had supported in the past but said parents “do not need government imposing more limitations on keeping children safe and healthy from contagious illnesses at school.”

Manookian told The Defender that Little’s claim is “an absolute fabrication” because nothing in the bill changes existing pertinent rules or codes that allow schools to exclude children if they are sick.

“Little is hiding behind a lie,” she added. If a child is sick, “a school has every right to send them home,” she said. They just wouldn’t be able to dictate to the parents how that illness should be treated — they couldn’t force the child to take a test, wear a mask or take a drug.

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Idaho Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana

Jeremy Kitzhaber, a U.S. Air Force veteran, held up a blue lunch bag to a committee of Idaho lawmakers on Monday that he uses to store the drugs meant to soothe his pain, including hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone.

Kitzhaber has a rare type of stage four cancer that he developed while transporting radioactive and hazardous materials in the military. He can take those strong opioids at any point in the day—in addition to the drugs he takes to keep his cancer from growing and manage his bowel movement and anxiety. However, the one drug he cannot legally take is marijuana.

Idaho has some of the strictest laws against any kind of marijuana usage, but an informational hearing held in the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee opened the discussion for Kitzhaber to advocate for a bill to legalize medical marijuana for Idahoans living with chronic pain and answer lawmakers’ questions about what legalizing marijuana would look like in Idaho.

Kitzhaber has been working on legislation to legalize marijuana for six years, and this year, Reps. Ilana Rubel (D-Boise), and Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene), named House Bill 401, or the “Sgt. Kitzhaber Medical Cannabis Act,” after him. The sponsors introduced it as a personal bill, meaning it has no chance of advancing this session and is intended to send a message.

What would medical marijuana look like in Idaho?

Unlike most of its neighboring states, marijuana is recreationally and medically illegal in Idaho.

During the 2025 legislative session alone, lawmakers passed at least two pieces of legislation aimed to restrict marijuana usage in Idaho. This includes a bill signed by the governor and set to take effect July 1 to implement a $300 minimum fine for individuals found possessing less than three ounces marijuana.

Another piece of legislation passed in both chambers is a proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution that, if approved by voters, would make it so that only the Idaho Legislature has the power to legalize marijuana and other narcotics.

House Bill 401 is modeled after Utah’s legislation, Rubel told the committee, who said Idaho lawmakers should at some point consider this type of legislation.

The bill would move marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II controlled substance. It would allow medical practitioners to give medical cannabis cards to patients who are at least 21 years old and diagnosed with qualifying conditions such as cancer, ALS, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating illnesses. The card would be valid for up to one year, and renewal must be sought after.

Under the bill, individuals with medical cannabis cards would not be subject to prosecution for certain amounts of marijuana possession.

“The bill does not legalize cannabis, it only decriminalizes it,” Kitzhaber said.

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Idaho Lawmakers Approve Measure To Block Voters From Being Able To Legalize Marijuana

The Idaho House passed a resolution on Wednesday seeking voter approval to amend the state constitution and give the Legislature exclusive authority to regulate marijuana.

House Joint Resolution 4 aims to eliminate voters’ ability to legalize marijuana through a ballot initiative. As a resolution, the legislation does not hold the force of law. Instead, it would place a question on Idahoans’ ballot about whether to amend Idaho’s Constitution to allow only the Legislature to have a say in legalizing “psychoactive substances.” A majority of voters would need to vote yes in order for the constitution to be amended.

Currently, a “Decriminalize Cannabis Now” ballot initiative is in the signature gathering process, according to VoteIdaho.gov. If it qualifies, and if the Senate approves House Joint Resolution 4, then both questions would appear on the 2026 ballot, sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa said.

Skaug said the resolution comes from a place of concern for the “virtue and sobriety” of Idahoans.

“It’s time for Idahoans to proactively decide the state’s fate relative to marijuana, psychoactive substances and narcotics,” Skaug said. “I’m asking that we let our state go on the offense.”

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Idaho Governor Signs Bill Setting Mandatory Minimum Fine For Marijuana Possession

Idaho’s governor has signed a bill creating a new mandatory minimum fine for possession of marijuana.

Under the legislation approved by Gov. Brad Little (R) on Monday, adults caught with less than three ounces of cannabis will face a mandatory minimum fine of $300.

Sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug (R), the sponsor of the measure, told a House committee last month that “we do not want this to become a marijuana state.”

On the House floor, the representative asked colleagues: “Tell me what state—anybody who debates against this bill—what state is a better place because of the passage of marijuana legalization? I submit none.”

He later told a Senate committee that “a $300 fine is not too much if you can afford to buy this marijuana and concentrate.”

“Every dollar spent on pot by someone is not spent on food, clothing, school supplies, real medicine or housing,” he said.

The new law is set to take effect on July 1.

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Idaho Lawmakers Send Bill Creating A Mandatory Minimum Fine For Marijuana Possession To Governor’s Desk

The Idaho Senate voted 27-8 on Tuesday to pass a bill creating a mandatory minimum fine of $300 for simple marijuana possession.

Passing the Senate was the final legislative hurdle for the bill. The Idaho House of Representatives already voted 54-14 to pass the bill January 21.

House Bill 7 next heads to Gov. Brad Little’s (R) desk for final consideration. Once it reaches his desk, Little will have three options. He can sign it into law, he can allow it to become law without his signature or he can veto it.

If the bill becomes law it would take effect July 1.

House Bill 7 was co-sponsored by Sen. Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth. If passed into law, it would create a mandatory minimum fine of $300 for anybody 18 and over convicted of possessing less than 3 ounces of marijuana—in addition to any other penalties allowed by law.

Supporters of the bill said it is a way to be tough on marijuana and differentiate Idaho from its neighboring states.

Most of Idaho’s neighboring states allow for the recreational or medical use of cannabis. Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Montana allow the recreational sale and possession of cannabis, while Utah offers medical cannabis.

“Not long ago, marijuana was illegal in all 50 states,” Shippy said. “In not one state where marijuana is legalized has that state become a better, safer or more wealthy place to live and raise a family.”

Some opponents of the bill argued against creating a mandatory minimum fine, saying it removes discretion that judges and prosecutors exercise on a case-by-case basis.

The bill is similar to a failed bill from last year, House Bill 606, which would have created a mandatory minimum fine of $420 for marijuana possession.

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Kentucky, Montana, Idaho Among States Looking to Ban mRNA Vaccines

As calls to ban mRNA shots intensify worldwide, a growing number of U.S. states and communities are eyeing laws to prohibit or pause their use.

A bill introduced Tuesday in the Kentucky House of Representatives would ban until July 1, 2035, the administration of “any human gene therapy product for any infectious disease indication, regardless of whether the administration is termed an immunization, vaccine, or any other term.”

Lawmakers in Idaho and Montana recently introduced similar bills. Legislative initiatives are in the planning stages or have been passed at the county level in at least four other states, including Iowa, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

“A critical mass will soon be reached, forcing the federal government to follow suit,” said epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher of the McCullough Foundation.

Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project and director of the International Fellowship Program for the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), said such initiatives are “important in sending the message” to public health agencies “that states recognize the damage mRNA shots have done to U.S. citizens.”

Hulscher said the McCullough Foundation “will be actively engaged in legislative efforts to ban mRNA injections” in several states.

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Donald Trump Cancels Construction of One of America’s Largest Wind Farms

Donald Trump halted construction on what was set to be the largest wind farm in the U.S. on his first day in office.

The president stopped building work on over 100,000 acres of clean energy infrastructure at the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho via an executive order on Tuesday.

Newsweek contacted the White House and developers Magic Valley Energy for more information on the order, the decision and the implications for those involved in the project via email. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) declined to comment when approached by Newsweek.

Why It Matters

The move is part of a series of day-one promises that Trump pledged to fulfill once he was sworn in.

In his inauguration speech, Trump said that the U.S. would “drill, baby, drill,” and expand oil and gas initiatives at the expense of renewable energy projects. This order, along with his removal of the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, symbolizes Trump’s move towards traditional fuel sources.

What to Know

The Lava Ridge Wind Project would have been a 104,000-acre wind farm in Lava Ridge, Idaho, with over 271 turbines planned by developers Magic Valley Energy.

This would have made Lava Ridge the largest wind farm in the U.S. by area, beating out the 100,000-acre titleholder in Roscoe, Texas.

However, because of the project’s scale, it was met with skepticism by local campaigners, including Republican Idaho Senator Jim Risch. In 2023, Idaho lawmakers issued a statement with concerns over how the project was being managed by the BLM.

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New Idaho Bill Would Set Mandatory Minimum Fine For Marijuana Possession

A Nampa legislator introduced a bill on Thursday to implement a $300 minimum fine for adults possessing three ounces or less of marijuana.

Under Idaho Code, individuals possessing more than three ounces of marijuana can face a felony conviction and may be imprisoned for at least five years, or fined at least $10,000, or both. However, there are no specific penalties for individuals possessing less than three ounces.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, introduced the bill to the Idaho House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, noting that Idaho judges can apply fines ranging from $2 to $500 for people possessing three ounces or less of marijuana.

According to the bill, individuals possessing three ounces or less of marijuana would be subject to a misdemeanor upon conviction and subject to a minimum fine of $300. Individuals under the age of 18, however, would be exempt from the penalties, Skaug said.

“We do not want this to become a marijuana state,” Skaug told the committee.

Last year, Skaug introduced a similar bill attempting to implement a minimum $420 fine for marijuana possession of three ounces or less, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

The bill died in committee after legislators pointed to concerns that it would take away judicial discretion.

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Man Arrested in Payette, Idaho After Police Find Improvised Bomb in Train Car

Payette Police arrested 40-year-old Brent Sharrai after discovering an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a railcar in Payette, Idaho.

Officers responded to a report of a suspicious individual attempting to ignite an object near a parked railroad car in the 600 block of North 8th Street.

Upon arrival, they observed fresh footprints in the snow leading to a train car, where they found an undetonated PVC pipe-bomb-style device affixed to a step.

Following the footprints, officers located Sharrai in a nearby camp trailer. He attempted to flee but surrendered after a brief pursuit.

During the arrest, Sharrai reportedly claimed he was “just trying to make a loud explosion or loud boom” and did not intend to cause harm or property damage, Idaho Stateman reported.

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Idaho Man Paralyzed 10 Days After Getting J&J COVID Vaccine

An Idaho man who received a COVID-19 vaccine when his employer “strongly implied” he should get the shot was left paralyzed 10 days later from a blood clot.

Doug Cameron, who previously avoided getting a COVID-19 vaccine, was 64 and healthy when he received his first and only Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine on April 5, 2021.

He was a manager at TLK Dairy Farms in Mountain Home, Idaho, where he had worked for 15 years.

COVID-19 vaccines had been available for months at local pharmacies when TLK Dairy Farms hosted an on-site vaccination clinic to encourage vaccination.

“They were seeing that a lot of people weren’t getting the shot, and they decided to bring the shot to the farm,” Cameron told The Defender. His company’s leadership team didn’t mandate that he get the shot. “They just strongly implied” that they expected it, he said.

Cameron said the “intimidation” to get a COVID-19 shot “was extremely strong all the way around” for him and his co-workers.

“People can deny it all they want,” he said, “but the fact of the matter is that if they had never brought it and never pushed it on people, I know a lot of people would’ve never got it — I am one of those people.”

Cameron told them he didn’t want a COVID-19 shot. “They said, ‘Well, you’re a manager and it’d be good if your name was first on the list of people’” who signed up to receive a shot.

Cameron said, “Well, OK,” and got the shot. He sat for 15 minutes as instructed by the clinic workers, then hopped back in his pickup truck to continue working around the 10,000-acre farm.

That was Monday. The next day, he didn’t feel quite right. His hips hurt a lot. Sitting or lying down was uncomfortable. “That just kept getting worse,” he said.

More symptoms occurred, including urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Cameron wanted to finish his workweek. He told his wife, Carla, he would go to a clinic on Saturday to get checked out.

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