FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 9, 2019 Contact: Lisa Power, State Election Director Phone: (208) 332-2833

Boise, Idaho – Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney announced proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures.

The initiative may be circulated for signatures now that the official language is complete, and the Attorney General has forwarded the legal titles to the Secretary of State. The Attorney General’s official short and long ballot titles are as follows:

Short title: Initiative establishing medical marijuana program for qualifying patients and protect participants from criminal prosecution and civil sanction.

Long Title: An initiative relating to medical marijuana; amending Title 39, Idaho Code, by addition of a new Chapter 97, known as the “Idaho Medical Marijuana Act” to protect from arrest, criminal and civil sanction, patients who have chronic diseases or conditions or are terminally ill, and caregivers, growers, and agents of medical marijuana purposes; establish a registry of qualifying patients, caregivers, growers, and agents who shall be issued registry identification and dispensaries which shall be issued registration certificates; to authorize production of marijuana; establish the maximum amount of marijuana qualifying patients and caregivers per assisted patient may possess is four (4) ounces of usable marijuana and six (6) marijuana plants if issued a registry identification card allowing cultivation; establish reporting rules and penalties; to provide the department shall submit an annual report to the Idaho Legislature; provide information regarding names and other identifying information of persons who have been issued or applied for a registry identification card, pursuant to Chapter 97, Title 39, Idaho Code is exempt from disclosure.

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is I1907.

The proponents of the measure must collect signatures of 55,057 registered voters (six percent of the qualified electors at the time of the November 2018 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. These signatures are also required to be distributed across at least 18 legislative districts with at least six percent of registered voters from each district. The proponents have until the April 30, 2020, deadline to circulate petitions for the measure, and signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than May 1, 2020.

Contact information for the proponents is as follows: Russ Belville, on behalf of Idaho Cannabis Coalition [email protected] (844) Idaho20

ABOUT LAWERENCE DENNEY

Lawerence Denney has served the people of Idaho since 1990. His public service began as a representative in District 13 and, following redistricting, he became a representative in District 9 until 2014. During that time, Denney served two terms as Majority Leader and three terms as Speaker of the House before successfully running for state office. He is currently in the first year of his second term as Idaho’s Secretary of State.