YES... BUT DID WE DIE?
Our freshly resurrected Educate & Legalize Idaho Tour - with a twist!
How exciting!!! 🥳
Now, what does that mean exactly, you ask? What is this tour all about?
Our teams would travel around to different cities in Idaho to host educational events and provide access for voters to sign whichever medical marijuana petition was currently being circulated.
We've hosted numerous Cannabis Town Halls in Boise; and educational events across the state. We visited places like Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston, Moscow, and Sandpoint.
The last events happened in 2020, right as COVID hit us all so hard. The forced shutdowns killed both that citizens initiative AND the tour that year; and then, per usual, life went on.
After our dear friend, Bill Esbensen, passed away a year ago, we were inspired to begin again. But in a different way. Perhaps a more effective way. But what could that be?
When I first blogged on New Year's Day, we weren't exactly certain. The idea had been evolving for most of 2024, and things were finally beginning to take shape. We released our ideas to the universe (tour levels and coalition building) to see what might manifest out of our continued desire to help bring Cannabis reform to Idaho.
Little did we know... the Idaho Legislature was about to double down on their all-out-war on responsible Cannabis Consumers in Idaho:
"During the 2025 legislative sessions, politicians passed numerous anti-marijuana policies, including a new $300 mandatory minimum fine for simple marijuana possession.
The Idaho legislature also passed a policy banning & criminalizing advertisements of illegal drugs, attacked their more than 100-year-old constitution & citizen initiative process in an effort to prevent ballot initiatives (including raising criteria by district, and even an attempt to allow the governor to veto successful ballot initiatives passed by the voters).
But most importantly, the Idaho Legislature is now seeking to amend the Idaho Constitution to block voters from ever bringing a Cannabis related petition to the ballot.
Idaho House Joint Memorial 4 puts a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for a vote in Idaho’s November 2026 election. If passed by the voters, this amendment would prohibit Idaho citizens from using the State’s initiative process to legalize drugs for any reason, including the compassionate use of medical marijuana. It would then require a ⅔ legislative majority to pass any type of legalization measure in the future. Permanently silencing not just the voices of today’s Idaho citizens – but also those of future generations."
Now that the session is over, all the politicians have gone home, and the dust has settled - it is time to assess the damage of their attack.
- Yes, Idaho legislators have officially reaffirmed their archaic and unjust war on responsible Cannabis Consumers within Idaho's borders.
- Yes, they have increased the criminal penalties for simple marijuana possession; AND criminalized marijuana advertising.
- Yes, they continue to repeatedly attack the voice of their citizens by attempting to restrict the initiative process.
- Yes, Idaho police are continuing to threaten and bully vape and glass shops across the state.
- Yes, the powers that be in Idaho have once again held strong to 20th Century Fear & Propaganda as the rest of the world continues forward with progress, compassion and true medical freedom.
- Yes, all of that has happened, and all of that is really lame.
BUT DID WE DIE??Yes, they made things worse. Yes, we aren't having the best of days these days...
Yes, it could have ended us if we let it.
But we didn't. We are still here. We are still breathing. We didn't die.
We still have time.
We are still capable of anything on which we set our minds. Especially if we team up and do it together. There is still hope!
And, as my father always says: Tomorrow is a new day and we get to try again!
Idaho has always had what Criminal Justice calls a "Good ol' Boys Club" Government.
A little, stereotypical club - that one can only speculate is funded by tax payer dollars and campaign contributions received from lobbyists - made up of extremely biased politicians that have had control over our state for a very long time... (who may also likely have investments that Cannabis legalization threatens? pharma, police, drug court, private prisons, timber, oil, plastic, etc....)
Many of the names in our government have been there for decades.
For example, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, who blocked the Federal Marijuana Banking Bill in 2019 (and whose niece arrested me on the Idaho Capitol Steps for trying to smoke a joint as part of a protest in 2016) has been an Idaho Senator since I was a child. I am in my 40's now.
Another such politician with a long tenure, Chuck Winder, who only just lost his chair a year ago - after 16 years in office - repeatedly attacked our efforts during his time in the Senate. I was surprised to learn that he used to play basketball with my father when I was just a little girl in pig tails!
Just like Crapo, both Winder and my father were raised in the Reefer Madness/War on Drugs era of the last century; and held similar religious and moral beliefs back during the time when they would shoot hoops together at the YMCA in Boise, in the 1980s.
Other known prohibitionists, like Skaug, Lakey, and Grow, are also right there with them in age.
But if my 77-year-old father can see the logic in today's science, and the absurdity in the prohibition of the past; and quickly change his mind about Cannabis when presented with the real truth - so can these politicians. No matter their generation.
Which means there must be something more to it!
Yes, they've attacked us, but it's nothing new. They've been at it for years. We will take their attacks, and burn it as fuel for our fire, to keep pushing forward like we normally do.
But they did leave us with a few questions...
DID THEY REALLY DECLARE WAR BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE CANNABIS IS BAD?
OR ARE THEIR ACTIONS BASED ON THEIR OWN CORRUPTED POLITICIAL IDEOLOGY, FEAR OF CHANGE & LOSS OF POWER?
Could they simply be milking their dying cash cow before it finally becomes fallen stock - while they desperately cling to a time, and to a power, that must seem to be very quickly slipping through their aging fingers?
Are these prohibitionist politicians attempting to secure a Reefer Madness future for Idahoans because THEY KNOW THE FUTURE IS CANNABIS & THAT FUTURE IS INEVITABLE? Whether they want it or not? Is this a last gambit from an outdated, irrelevant, good ol' boy legislature? Are they fighting so hard now because they know they don't have much time, or opportunity, left to try to prevent it from happening?
(AS IF THEY COULD!)
THEY MUST KNOW that our generations (X, Millennial, Z), which contain the majority of the Cannabis Consumers (or at least supporters) in Idaho, are going to take that power from their grasp in the coming years, and finally make changes they have fought so hard, for so long, to prevent from happening.
It's definitely a good possibility. Especially as we become surrounded by legalization.
Well, WE KNOW, in order to protect our voices now, and to protect the voices of the future... WE MUST DO SOMETHING - despite their opposition for whatever reason. Despite their attacks.
Even if it's not exactly what we had planned for the Tour Efforts at the start of the year.
Yes, their legislative attacks really did a number on the working plans for the Tour.
And on Boise Hempfest sponsorships due to the new advertising law.
The Proposed Amendment, HJR4, definitely greatly threatens the possibility of ever getting a petition to the ballot. Something we've worked on for nearly 20 years.
Once again, they are attempting to silence our voices in order to make a stand against Cannabis that History has already proven is the WRONG SIDE!
But they've been trying to shut us up for years...
And when has that ever stopped us?
That always just means it's time to get LOUDER!
So, here comes the Educate & Legalize Idaho Tour!
ONE WAY, OR ANOTHER!
Right now, we have a lot of irons in the fire, and a lot of good Idahoans already networking to make this campaign a reality. We're building up our Hard Core Crew and Legalize Idaho Community Coalition - that will work together for the next year to bring Cannabis Education, Awareness & Discussion to our local Idaho communities.
Our teams have already held coordinated, pre-launch, public meet n' greets across the state during the 4/20 weekend - in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Meridian and Moscow - with excellent turnouts of new like-minded friends. We also have 2 coordinated rallies this coming weekend - in Boise and Idaho Falls - for the Global Marijuana March.
And Boise Hempfest is right around the corner! 💚😍
So, as we get started, the tour campaign is being reorganized to evolve into what it needs to be now that the prohibitionists have played their hand. Everything planned at the start of the year must be adjusted to fit the current climate, and the final details will be announced very soon.
More events are coming and there will be plenty of opportunity to help. Keep an eye out!
In the mean time, be sure to check out our website, our social media, our public forum, and learn how to get involved. TOGETHER - WE CAN EDUCATE & LEGALIZE IDAHO IN THE COMING YEARS! #OnlyYouCanLegalizeIdaho
🌿Here we come, Idaho! Are you ready?🌿
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