Idaho House Begins Informational Hearings on Medical Marijuana
BOISE – The first hearing to review a bill that would permit the use of marijuana by seriously ill Idahoans took place yesterday, marking the first time such legislation has been granted a public hearing in the House of Representatives. The Health & Welfare Committee heard testimony in support of H.B. 19, which would allow seriously and chronically ill Idaho residents to use marijuana to treat certain conditions with doctors’ recommendations. This bill, introduced by Rep. Tom Trail (R-Moscow), contains very specific criteria to qualify for the program and for the production of medical marijuana. If passed, it would be the strictest and most tightly regulated medical marijuana law in the nation.
After hearing from advocates and medical marijuana patients, many lawmakers agreed that it was time to start learning about the benefits of medical marijuana and discussing the possibility of instituting such a program in Idaho. Committee Chairwoman Janice McGeachin (R-Idaho Falls) said, “Personally, I guess my opinion is that it's probably much less toxic than a lot of the pharmaceutical drugs that are produced that people take now. To me, this is just kind of a very first step … to start talking about it and learning about it.”
Rep. Trail said, “Like the compassionate laws of our neighbors, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Canada, this legislation seeks to protect seriously ill residents of Idaho from arrest and prosecution for using a treatment method recommended by their physician in the normal course of treatment. However, we have the benefit of learning from our neighboring states' experiences. This bill includes adequate state regulation of the program and safeguards to ensure that our medical marijuana program is not abused. This bill also reinforces the belief that the doctor-patient relationship should govern the decision to use medical marijuana, not the federal government or law enforcement."
Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow the use of medical marijuana, and many more states are considering legislation to permit similar programs this year.
The hearings on H.B. 19 are scheduled to continue Monday, April 4 at 1:30 p.m.
