10:32
News Story
A proposed ballot initiative seeking to legalize medical cannabis in Idaho failed to meet the legal signature-gatheringrequirements set out in state law and will not appear on Idaho’s general election ballot in November, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced Tuesday
A group called the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho had hoped to legalize medical cannabis as a treatment option for Idahoans with chronic pain or a debilitating medical condition, such as cancer, AIDS, post-traumatic stress, epilepsy or Crohn’s disease
To qualify for the ballot, organizers need to obtain valid signatures from 6% of Idaho’s registered voters statewide, and from 6% of registered voters in at least 18 of the state’s 35 legislative districts.
Initiative to end Idaho’s strict abortion ban qualifies for November’s general election ballot
In a letter sent Monday to the medical cannabis campaign, McGrane said that organizers gathered a maximum of 58,024 signatures certified by county elections officials and met the 6% requirement in 13 legislative districts.
In order to meet the statewide requirement, organizers would have needed to gather 70,725 valid signatures, McGrane said
Idaho Secretary of State’s Office says it received numerous complaints about medical cannabis initiaitive
In addition to falling short of the legal signature-gathering requirements, McGrane wrote in Monday’s letter that his office received numerous complaints during the circulation and verification process about the medical cannabis initiative petition process.
For example, McGrane said officials have not been able to verify the residency status of 293 people who circulated petitions gathering signatures. Idaho law requires every person who circulates a petition for a ballot initiative to be an Idaho resident who is at least 18 years old, McGrane said.
Additionally, McGrane said he referred complaints about potential fraud to the Idaho State Police for potential criminal investigation. McGrane said the name and information for a voter who state records show died in 2021 appears on one of the medical cannabis petitions. The same petition also included other entries for voters who were removed from the state’s voter roles, McGrane said.
“Similarities in the handwriting and voter information raised a credible concern that prior voter information may have been used to create purported signatures,” McGrane wrote to the medical cannabis campaign. “The office has referred this matter and other isolated complaints to the Idaho State Police for review and potential criminal investigation under applicable law. A referral is not a finding of criminal liability, and this letter does not prejudge any investigation or prosecution.”
There were other potential issues that could have affected the medical cannabis initiative too. Despite Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane’s recommendation to submit signatures for verification earlier, organizers waited until the deadline on the final day to turn in the signatures, the Sun previously reported.
A contractor working for the medical cannabis initiativearrived with nearly 900 signatures minutes after the local elections office in Minidoka County closed on the day signatures were due, missing the state’s deadline, the Sun previously reported.
In a written statement issued Tuesday, officials with the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho said they will cooperate with any review. The alliance said it had problems with one of the paid vendors it used to gather voter signatures.
“(Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho) organizers oversaw this effort actively and in good faith,” the alliance’s statement said. “As the campaign progressed, we saw signs that our original signature gathering vendor’s operation was disorganized, but when concerns were raised we were assured that legal requirements, including requirements related to reporting and residency, were being followed and signatures were on pace to surpass the threshold. It appears that our confidence was misplaced. The Secretary of State’s letter describes missed deadlines, circulator documentation and payment disclosures and petition materials prepared incorrectly or submitted late. We take every claim in that letter seriously and no one wants answers more than we do. We believe every statement made in the letter originated with our initial vendor. None of our concerns extend to the second firm we brought in late in the drive, whose work was professional throughout. (The alliance) has zero tolerance for signature fraud or prohibited conduct and will cooperate fully with any review.”
Despite the complaints and issues, National Medicine Alliance of Idaho organizers said they were shocked the initiative did not qualify for the ballot
“Our third party validation prior to submission indicated significantly higher validity than was returned, and we will be reviewing the findings county by county,” organizers said
“We are examining every legal and procedural remedy available, and whatever comes next, the need remains,” organizers added. “The demand Idahoans expressed through this campaign is not going away. Idahoans deserve the right to make their own healthcare decisions and a government that trusts them to do so.”
All forms of marijuana are illegal in Idaho. Other than Wyoming, each of Idaho’s bordering states offer either medical cannabis like Utah, or recreational marijuana like Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
Marijuana policy has faced difficult path forward in Idaho over the years
For more than 10 years, different groups have tried unsuccessfully to qualify a medical cannabis ballot initiative, but all failed to meet the signature requirements,the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.Medical marijuana advocates also failed to gain any traction with the Idaho Legislature – including the Idaho Legislature’s opposition to this year’s medical cannabis initiative.
In Idaho, a ballot initiative is a form of direct democracy where the voters – not the Idaho Legislature – decide whether to pass a proposed law.
This year’s failed ballot initiative may have been the last opportunity for Idaho voters to legalize medical cannabis. A separate ballot issue approved by the Idaho Legislature calledHouse Joint Resolution 4would amend the Idaho Constitution to allow only the Idaho Legislature – and not the voters – to have the authority to legalize medical cannabis, recreational marijuana or any other drug. It will take a simple majority of votes to approve the Idaho Legislature’s constitutional amendment that would prevent voters from legalizing medical cannabis.
Republican legislators and GOP officials said the ballot initiative would have been so broad as to effectively legalize marijuana for everyone.
A separate ballot initiative – one seeking to end Idaho’s abortion ban –did meet the signature requirements and will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 3 general election ballot, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced.
Once it qualifies for the election, it takes a simple majority vote to pass a ballot initiative
Final Determination Letter_7.13.2026
