~ I AM A CHILD OF IDAHO ~
I was adopted by an Idaho couple when I was 6 weeks old, and raised on the West Boise Bench.
I attended Centennial High School, and have spent most of my life
in various cities across SW Idaho.
I AM A CANNABIS ACTIVIST BECAUSE IDAHO FAILED ME!
When I became permanently disabled at the age of 19 - the ONLY OPTIONS AVAILABLE for my intractable, and extremely painful, internal organ condition were OPIATE BASED MEDICINES.
When the Idaho doctors, to whom I kept returning, couldn't initially figure out what was wrong with me, they told me that I was nothing more than a pill junkie/drug seeker
and MERELY ADDICTED TO THE DRUGS THEY HAD PRESCRIBED.
KNOWING IT WASN'T IN MY HEAD - MY PAIN IS REAL - I weaned myself off all narcotics
and ended up stuck in my bed for months at a time because of the immobility caused by the pain, unable to be a mother to my children.
I GAINED OVER 100 LBS IN A YEAR BEFORE I FOUND MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE AND IT SAVED MY LIFE!
I was finally able to be cognitive enough to be a parent.
BUT IDAHO LAW MADE ME A CRIMINAL FOR CHOOSING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE
FOR MY FAMILY
For the last twenty years, I have worked to help bring logic, compassion and reform to Idaho's outdated and harmful Marijuana laws.
Between citizen initiatives, protests & rallies, lobbying, calls to action, educational events, chalk-walks, family advocacy, and helping to end the Oregon Moratorium & bring dispensaries to Ontario, Oregon - most efforts to Legalize Idaho in the last 20 years have been my work and/or the work of my friends.
WE ARE A STUBBORN BUNCH!
I was the primary author of the original "Idaho Medical Choice Act" - written back in 2010 - which evolved over the years to become the "Idaho Medical Marijuana Act"; that has been circulated by numerous groups throughout the last two decades - including Compassionate Idaho, New Approach Idaho, Idaho Medical Marijuana Association, Idaho Cannabis Coalition, and Kind Idaho.
Like many Idahoans who have had to choose our lives over Idaho's harmful laws and flee the state, I have lived in numerous Cannabis-friendly locations over the years. I have personally witnessed the miracles that this amazing plant can provide. I have watched cancer patients gain back their appetite despite the devastating side effects of chemo. I have met patients that claim it was Cannabis oil that killed their cancers. I have witnessed children who not only survived, but thrived, while fighting cancer and other heart-wrenching childhood illnesses.
I have seen chronic pain patients (with such conditions as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson, Crohn's Disease, and more) completely change their quality of life, and be able to finally be productive members of society.
I have also been one of these patients. Multiple times.
I have met hopelessly depressed and anxious patients who have found happiness and serenity just by using Cannabis to treat their mental health. I have known others with schizophrenia and PSTD who have also successfully treated their disorders with LOW-THC medical Marijuana, and finally been able to calm their demons.
I have watched addicts and alcoholics use Cannabis to take a remarkable exit from drug dependence.
I have witnessed parents burst into tears and sob uncontrollably as they thanked their doctor profusely because their 10-year-old child - who suffered seizures caused by Dravet's Syndrome their entire life, often hundreds within a day - finally slept through the night for the first time since they were a baby.
All thanks to Medical Cannabis.
I have been to the top of proverbial mountain and seen the glory of legal Cannabis found on the other side. I have witnessed what Idaho COULD HAVE if only we could just change the archaic laws that prevent compassion and logic in our beautiful state.
And right now, I currently live only .5 miles from the closest legal dispensary, where I can get the quality and quantity of medicine I need to live pain free under my sanctuary state's legal recreational program.
My health is better than it has been in YEARS...
BUT I WANT TO COME HOME!!!
As an Idaho native, all I know and love is within Idaho's borders. My mother and nephew are buried in Idaho's dirt. My father and stepmother, and my siblings, all live in the Treasure Valley. Idaho is my home. My family, my friends, my memories, and all of my heart and soul are in Idaho.
BUT I AM NOT.
I CANNOT BE.
I have been self-exiled out of pure self-preservation.
I live as close as I can to my home without going over that imaginary line that magically transports you back in time to the Reefer Madness era from the 1930s.
I am forced to miss holidays, special life events, watching my nieces and nephews grow up, family dinners, my home church, time with my aging father, and so much more.
ALL BECAUSE IDAHO WON'T LEGALIZE MY MEDICINE.
I believe that Idaho is better than that. More logical than that.
More compassionate than that.
We care about our neighbors. We care about our community.
WE CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF IDAHO!
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me." Matthew 25:40
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and the needy” Proverbs 31:8-9
I KNOW that Idaho is full of loving, compassionate people.
For the last twenty years, I have spoken with thousands of them from all over the state and most agree - IDAHO NEEDS AT LEAST MEDICAL MARIJUANA!
In 2010, Boise State University conducted a state-wide poll that concluded 74% of Idahoans support Medical Marijuana. Another poll, done about 10 years later, provided similar results.
Our own Legalize Idaho poll from 2018 showed even greater support.
The TRUTH is very clear to see here -
OUR POLITICIANS ARE SIMPLY NOT SPEAKING FOR US.
We have spent a great deal of time, energy, and money attempting to speak for ourselves -
to finally make our voices heard through citizens initiatives, lobbying, and so much more.
These attempts have moved Idaho forward, even if not yet near the finish line.
And as we watch the world around us find logic in their own laws, we know that
it is only a matter of time before Idaho is forced to catch up with the future.
SO WHAT'S NEXT?
Over the last couple decades, I have met countless people, and worked with awesome activists, from all over the state (the country, and even the world).
This last April, we lost one of the most amazing activists I have had the honor of calling my friend in a tragic car accident outside of Boise, Idaho.
Bill Esbensen was instrumental in helping to bring medical marijuana access to the sick & disabled in Oregon, legal dispensaries to Ontario, and helping throughout the years to reform Idaho's laws. He was one of my greatest partners, soldiers together in the War on Drugs, and my dear friend. I miss his authenticity and passion. A truly dedicated and selfless individual who donated much of his own life to help reform both Idaho and Oregon's Marijuana laws.
After Bill's death, I realized that 2025 will be
the 20-year-anniversary of my own activism.
My very first 4/20 as an illegally healed, medical marijuana patient was in 2005.
I had spent the day creating a social media account on MYSPACE to share all I was learning about Cannabis with the world. Scared to use my own name, because I lived in IDAHO
That was the beginning of my Cannabis Activism journey.
And the rest is HISTORY...
So............................
To memorialize my friend, and to commemorate spending half of my life working to help free the most amazingly beneficial plant I have ever encountered, I am resurrecting an old campaign -
THE EDUCATE & LEGALIZE IDAHO TOUR
BACKGROUND:
The most successful attempt Idaho had at a citizen initiative occurred in 2020, when the Idaho Cannabis Coalition (ICC) collected over 44k signatures (55k needed) before the Governor shut the entire state down because of COVID19 - just a month before the end of the campaign.
Reclaim Idaho was also running a petition and filed a lawsuit in an effort to continue collecting their own signatures. When they lost in court, the ICC decided not to pursue any action either.
And we will never know if we could have made it.
During that time, I was also running the first Educate & Legalize Idaho Tour campaign,
bringing the petition and Cannabis education to different cities around the state -
before it too was shut down by COVID.
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Since moving out of Idaho again in 2022, I've been waiting (quite impatiently) for how I can help further reform in Idaho in more ways than our annual Boise Hempfest event. While my activism had quieted down a bit, a small ember continued to burn in my soul to help bring hope to Idaho.
When Bill passed away, it was as if a small wind swept through and whooshed that ember back into a raging fire, consuming my entire being once again; and I am now ready to get back in the game and finally make a lasting impact on Idaho.
Since then, I have been forming a new campaign and working with my mentors, benefactors, and friends to make it a reality.
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This campaign will be different than any we have had before!
Instead of focusing primarily on a petition - we will focus instead on
PROMOTING EDUCATION, CREATING AWARENESS & INCREASING DISCUSSION
about Cannabis in our local IDAHO communities.
Because - just as reason follows logic, LEGALIZATION follows EDUCATION!
a sea of Cannabis Common Sense.
We are the butt of all jokes, a thorn in the side of the legal cannabis industry, and known for being one of the last states to cling to the outdated, scientifically disproved and ridiculed "Reefer Madness", "Just Say No" and "D.A.R.E." propaganda from the 20th Century.
Will we continue to allow our beautiful Idaho
to be known as one of the LEAST COMPASSIONATE
States in the Nation?
I am calling on EVERYONE IN IDAHO.
I am calling on EVERYONE in the Cannabis Industry.
I am calling on EVERYONE in the Cannabis Community
I am calling on EVERYONE in the entire country.
I am calling on the WHOLE WORLD:
IF YOU SUPPORT CANNABIS
This new campaign will be the most significant push for
Cannabis education, logic & compassion that the State of Idaho has ever seen.
It will last for an entire year, working daily, and has A LOT of moving parts.
It will be a tiered campaign, with TOUR LEVELS, fueled solely by donations, sponsors, and volunteers.
Level One will be the starting point, my own dedicated contribution - with Level Four as the ultimate goal. The Tour efforts will begin with Boise Hempfest 2025 on May 10th, 2025.
Then, depending on the amount of support it receives between NOW and THEN - the campaign could grow as large as 100 local events to take place within the year -
ending with our 10th annual Boise Hempfest in 2026!
The Tour Effort will include:
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY
WE WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY
For years, we have been collecting footage of our activism in Idaho. To help immortalize the important work of people like my friend, Bill; and leave something behind to help further activism Idaho, we will be filming for an Idaho Cannabis Documentary.
As I said, there are a lot of moving parts,
and things are still evolving and coming together.
The full scale of this campaign will only be known once we see how much support we receive by the time it begins.
Everyone can help in one way or another. Whether that is through donations, volunteering, sponsoring, following, and promoting the tour, is entirely up to you! It doesn't even matter if you live in Idaho or have ever even set foot there. We've got something for everybody!
It is time for Idaho to join the rest of the world in Cannabis history
and I hope you will help us work towards making that happen.
Keep an eye on my new blog - as this is where I will keep you up to date on what is going on with the tour and our current efforts to Educate Idaho about Cannabis.
And join our new public Facebook forum for the campaign -
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It's going to be an exciting one!!
Much Love & Cannabis Freedom,
❤︎ Serra
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