Idaho Lawmakers Propose $420 Fine for Cannabis Possession

People caught possessing small quantities of cannabis in Idaho could face a mandatory $420 fine under a proposal introduced this week in the House State Affairs Committee, the Idaho Press reports.

Proposed by Rep. Bruce Skaug (R), the fine would apply to cannabis possession cases for any amount less than three ounces.

Idaho is one of three U.S. states — the others being Kansas and Nebraska — that have maintained an absolute prohibition on cannabis with no exceptions, not even for medicinal use or low-level possession cases. Meanwhile, cannabis is legal for adults in the majority of Idaho’s neighboring states, including Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Montana, as well as across its northernmost border with Canada.

The bill mandating the $420 fine for low-level possession cases was formally introduced to the committee this week, meaning the proposal could be brought back for a public hearing, the report said.

Current Idaho law considers the possession of three ounces or less of cannabis a misdemeanor carrying penalties of up to one year imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,000. For possession cases between three ounces and one pound, it is a felony crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment and/or up to $10,000 in fines, and the penalties increase dramatically for cannabis trafficking felonies.

Another proposal introduced in the state last week is seeking to ban advertisements for illegal products after lawmakers witnessed billboards and newspaper advertisements in Idaho for out-of-state cannabis products.