Idaho’s Controversial New Amendment

What a busy start to 2021.

On Friday, January 29, the Idaho Senate committee will meet to vote on an anti-drug constitutional amendment. Specifically, the Senate Joint Resolution No. 101 will ban, “the production, manufacture, transportation, sale, delivery, dispensing, distribution, possession, or use of psychoactive drugs in the state of Idaho.”

The amendment is significant in the sense that it is putting absolute power into the Federal Food and Drug Administration to deem what is legal/illegal in the state. Any “psychoactive substance” not already approved by the FDA will not be able to be legalized. Drugs may only be added to the list of banned substances, not removed. This is bad news for supporters of medical marijuana and kratom.

“Keep Idaho, Idaho” – Sen. C. Scott Grow

Another drug in Idaho that has yet to be legalized fully is hemp. Currently, Idaho is the only state that is not up to the federal code on hemp. The USDA currently allows hemp products to contain up to 0.3% THC while Idaho insisted that it should remain at 0%. This will likely be revisited later this year.

There are many concerns over such an amendment in Idaho. Banning all drugs and substances not approved by the FDA not only forces residents to suffer in pain/resort to opioids, but also places restrictions on the medical field. Such an instance would prohibit doctors from practicing new, experimental medication. For instance, a doctor may not be able to treat a certain type of cancer because the FDA never got around to approving a new drug (a process that takes 10 months under standard review). Idaho physicians will likely be unable to obtain any medical breakthroughs if this amendment passes.

Fortunately, the amendment is only in its infancy. If the Senate committee moves it forward, it would then need ⅔ approval from both the Republican backed House and Senate before getting passed on to the general 2022 election. 

It makes sense to ban illicit and harmful substances, but this is a step too far. Science proves time and time again that medical cannabis and kratom have the power to help numerous people and save lives. It is time we follow it. 

UPDATE:  State lawmakers have voted to push the constitutional amendment forward. The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-2 on the matter.

Disclaimer: There is no content on the Kratom Science Podcast nor on KratomScience.com that in any way constitutes medical claims or medical advice. You should consult a medical professional for medical advice and we believe this sincerely. Take care. 

1 thought on “Idaho’s Controversial New Amendment”

  1. The state of Idaho will e putting a lot of people at risk. It makes me so mad that they’re going to ban a natural leaf that has never killed any one.
    They ay just have blood on their hands.

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