Idaho Bill Would Ban Advertisements for Out-of-State Cannabis

Idaho lawmakers are set to consider a proposal to ban the advertising of illegal products after a state lawmaker saw billboards advertising out-of-state cannabis products, Idaho Capital Sun reports.

The proposal, co-sponsored by Rep. Judy Boyle (R) and Sen. Chris Trakel (R), would allow misdemeanor charges against anyone who “willfully publishes any notice or advertisement, in any medium, of a product or service that is illegal under Idaho law,” the report said. Proponents of the bill referenced witnessing specific instances of cannabis being advertised in Idaho including a billboard near the Idaho-Oregon border, on another billboard in downtown Boise,  and in newspaper advertisements.

“And then another individual sent me — actually on the internet — that you can have drugs delivered to your Idaho doorstep. So I thought this was a little outrageous.” — Boyle, via the Idaho Capital Sun

The bill — which, if passed, would take effect immediately — was introduced on Wednesday to the House State Affairs Committee.

Idaho is one of the last remaining states to maintain a complete prohibition on cannabis but the majority of its neighboring states — Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington — have passed adult-use cannabis legalization laws. Of Idaho’s other neighbors, cannabis is also prohibited in Wyoming but legal for medical use in Utah (and federally legal in Canada).