This week, we’ve learned that cannabidiol — or C-B-D — can come from two sources, marijuana and hemp, both of which come from the same plant, but the hemp variety has no T-H-C.
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Marijuana in Idaho – Part 4 – What is Legal in other states?
What about in our neighboring states? What do they allow? Attorney David Patton specializes in CBD and medical marijuana law.
“With respect to Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California all of those jurisdictions have decriminalized marijuana, both recreationally as well as medicinally. And medicinal also includes cannabidiol or CDB, same thing with Montana and Wyoming. Utah has also decriminalized medical marijuana to a certain extent, but Idaho is full illegality, for both medicinal, recreational, as well as CBD.”
That includes industrial hemp, which although it is THC-free, it is still not legal to cultivate in Idaho. Mark Fry is trying to change that. He is a farmer and Idaho county commissioner. He says industrial hemp can be used for a whole slew of products and therefore the market for farmers would be very lucrative.
“Well, farmers and ranchers, it’s a no brainer for them –because they’re like – yah, another crop, another potential to rotate out of wheat and all of the potentiality of the plant itself. I mean it’s got food value, it’s got fiber value, it’s got medicinal value, I mean it seems like the skies the limit with the amount of products you can get out of it. Any time you have a commodity with that much versatility you’re gonna have a lot of markets for it. Farmers and ranchers are like yeah – this will be great! It’s stupid to have it prohibited.”
So he’s lobbying groups like the Idaho Sheriff’s Association, the Prosecutors Association, and the Idaho Association of Counties to try to get their endorsements. He says those are needs to convince lawmakers to get behind legalizing hemp.
“In terms of legislators, it’s a mixed bag. I mean some of them get it and some of them are really hesitant that it’s a slippery slope towards marijuana. That’s just a big hang up in Idaho is that they don’t want to legalize marijuana. There’s a lot of push back from the Southern part of the state, the urban areas, less agricultural.”
So, what if the legislature doesn’t ever come around? Patton says there’s another way hemp, CBD and possibly even marijuana could be legalized and that’s to put it on the ballot.
“In most states in the United States citizens can get something on the ballots and that usually ends up as a Constitutional Amendment. So, if Idaho, just like any other state, is going to legalize CBD only or medical marijuana generally, or marijuana for adult use, that would have to either come from the people as a ballot initiative or it would need to come from the legislative branch.”
So, let’s review, we’ve learned that CBD is believed to help with a number of medical and health; that hemp has literally dozens of uses aside from CBD and is potentially a huge cash crop for Idaho’s farmers. Will hemp ever be legal to grow in Idaho and will hemp-based CBD ever be officially legal? Both Patton and Fry agree it may take action by the people to make that happen. Jay Howell 670KBOI.
