An Idaho bill to impose a minimum $300 fine for adults convicted of possessing three ounces or less of cannabis on Monday advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Idaho Capital Sun reports. State Rep. Bruce Skaug (R), the bill’s sponsor, told the Sun the proposal would work as a deterrent for cannabis use.
“A $300 fine is not too much if you can afford to buy this marijuana and concentrate. Every dollar spent on pot by someone is not spent on food, clothing, school supplies, real medicine or housing.” — Skaug to the Sun
Idaho is bordered by four states that have legalized cannabis for adult use – Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington – but remains one of the states with strict prohibition on cannabis possession and use.
During testimony on Monday, Jeremy Kitzhaber, a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, testified that the bill would harm the veteran community.
“This bill would say that an edible gummy is a minimum fine,” Kitzhaber told the panel, “yet drunk driving, exposing yourself in public or even smacking your spouse, would still not impose a minimum fine.”
The bill, which passed the House last week, moves next to the full Senate.
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