Cannabis legalization is the removal of criminal penalties for cannabis activities such as production, distribution, possession, and consumption, and includes the replacement of those penalties with regulations on commercial cannabis activity.
Libertarians believe that the existing justice system is seriously flawed. One of the biggest problems we face today is that many things that should not be considered crimes are labeled as crimes. Worse yet, many of these actions are punished more harshly than are violent crimes.
We believe that ending the War on Drugs is an essential part of any plan to improve our justice system. The War on Drugs hurts the people we should be trying to help and diverts criminal justice resources away from prosecuting actual crimes committed against people and property.
Legalization is a huge topic and an important societal issue facing voters in Idaho as efforts to put a statewide proposition continue to mature. The Libertarian Party of Idaho supports the decriminalization of cannabis.
Our motivations behind this are to prioritize safety especially when it comes to young people by reducing crime, corruption and violence, massive illicit markets and other harmful health consequences of drugs produced in the absence of regulatory oversight.
1) Since 2012, 15 states, Washington, DC, and Canada have legalized cannabis for adults over the age of 21. 36 states have legalized medical marijuana. Mexico is in the process of finalizing their legalization. Idaho is almost completely surrounded by legal access to cannabis products. The continued prohibition on cannabis only encourages Idaho citizens to travel for access and encourages a dangerous black market within our state.
2) Marijuana arrests are down. Arrests for marijuana in all legal marijuana states and Washington, D.C. have plummeted, saving states hundreds of millions of dollars and sparing thousands of people from being branded with lifelong criminal records. Seven in ten Americans support clearing the records of people with non-violent marijuana convictions (yougov.com)
3) Cannabis legalization is linked to lower rates of opioid related harm. Increased access to legal marijuana has been associated with reductions in some of the most troubling harms associated with opioids, including opioid overdose deaths and untreated opioid use disorders. (drugpolicy.org)
4) Fewer than 10 percent of those who try marijuana ever end up meeting the clinical criteria for dependence, whereas 32 percent of tobacco users and 15 percent of alcohol users do. (drugpolicy.org)
5) Legalization of cannabis does not increase use in youth. According to the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey – released 12/15/2020 – substance use behaviors and related attitudes among teens in the United States indicate there was “no change” in the rate of current cannabis use among high school students from 2009-2019. The survey, conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, also revealed that fewer adolescents are using marijuana now compared to 2012 (www.drugabuse.gov)
Research published in November 2020 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use have seen sharp declines in youth treatment admission rates for the drug. The report that also shows teen admission rates for cannabis misuse fell nationwide by nearly half during the 2008-2017 period. (cdc.gov)
6) There is no correlation between cannabis legalization and crash rates. The crash rates in states that have decriminalized cannabis are statistically similar to comparable states without legal cannabis. DUI arrests are down and the total number of arrests for driving under the influence, of alcohol and other drugs, has declined in Colorado and Washington, the first two states to regulate marijuana for adult use. (crime.denverpost.com) (Q13fox.com)
7) Despite the political back-and-forth, most Americans want legal cannabis, according to recent polls. Sixty-seven percent of Americans polled by Pew Research said marijuana should be legal, with only 32% in opposition. (pewresearch.org)
A two-thirds majority of Americans—including 51 percent of Republicans—support the M.O.R.E. bill to federally legalize marijuana that was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, according to a new poll. (Morningconsultant.com)
A poll published by Gallup last month found that 68 percent of respondents were in favor of legalizing cannabis for adult use, which the firm said is its “highest reading” since it started polling voters on the issue in 1969. (gallup.com)
8) The marijuana industry is creating jobs. Preliminary estimates suggest that the legal marijuana industry employs between 165,000 to 230,000 full and part-time workers across the country. This number will only continue to grow as more states legalize marijuana and replace their unregulated markets with new legal markets. (drugpolicy.org)
We encourage you to share your support for the decriminalization of cannabis and these facts with our elected representatives through their websites:
Governor Brad Little | gov.idaho.gov | (208) 334-2100 | No response yet |
Senator Mike Crapo | crapo.senate.gov | (208) 334-1776 | No response yet |
Senator James Risch | risch.senate.gov | (208) 342-7985 | Opposes legalization |
Congressman Russ Fulcher | fulcher.house.gov | (208) 888-3188 | No response yet |
Congressman Mike Simpson | simpson.house.gov | (208) 523-6701 | No response yet |
Full list of Senate Membership | legislature.idaho.gov/senate | No response yet | |
Full list of House Membership | legislature.idaho.gov/house | No response yet |
Received a response? We encourage you to share their official response on social media or submit to us at editor@lpid.org.
More Information
Here are some great links for more information on efforts to decriminalize cannabis.
- Idaho Legalization Efforts
- National Legalization Efforts
- National Libertarian Party Position
- Facts and Figures
Template Letter
Return Address
Elected Officials’s Address
Salutation Introduce yourself Why are you writing your elected official? Ask for a response Thank them for their time Closing with your name | Your Name Address City, ID. Zip CodeDateName Office Address Office AddressDear______My name is _______ and I reside at ______ in ______, Idaho. I am a ______. As one of your constituents, I urge you to publicly support the legalization of cannabis in Idaho. _______. Your vocal support of the legalization of cannabis will help encourage Idahoans to read, analyze, and discuss the upcoming initiative and how legalization can positively influences or lives today. I appreciate your help and ask that you please send me a response letting me know how you are able to support the upcoming cannabis initiative. Thank you for your time and considering my request. Sincerely, |
Sharable Content
Here is some sharable content to show your support for the decriminalization of cannabis on your social media accounts