Idaho’s Boise A bill that requires a $300 minimum fine for minor marijuana possession was signed into law by Idaho Governor Brad Little on Monday. This summer is when it takes effect.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican from Nampa, is the sponsor of House Bill 7, which would increase the fine for possessing even a tiny amount of marijuana to more than the fine for nearly every other misdemeanor in Idaho. According to earlier reports from The Idaho Statesman, it includes a variety of violent felonies like assault, battery, domestic abuse, and attempted strangulation.
According to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML, or the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, mandatory minimum punishments are usually applied to more serious drug-related infractions. I don’t know of any other state in the United States that has enforced statutory minimum penalties for marijuana possession, Armentano told the Statesman.
According to the Statesman, courts have the authority to apply a variety of penalties, including no fine at all, although the standard standards for misdemeanors in Idaho are up to $1,000 in fines and up to a year in jail. In addition to a fine, defendants are usually required to pay hundreds of dollars in court costs and fees associated with their case.
According to Idaho law, possessing up to three ounces of cannabis is a misdemeanor. Any amount over that is considered a crime, which carries a maximum punishment of $10,000 and a maximum jail sentence of five years.
As previously reported by the Statesman, marijuana is legal in all but one of the states that surround Idaho. In Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Montana, cannabis is legal for both medical and recreational purposes. In Utah, it is exclusively permitted for medical purposes.
Only a few states still have complete prohibitions on marijuana, including Idaho. The others are Kansas, South Carolina, and Wyoming.
The new law’s higher fine goes into effect on July 1.
–The Idaho Statesman/TNS/Sarah Cutler
