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Idaho Medical Marijuana Campaign Says Legalization Ballot Measure Would Generate $100 Million In Annual Sales

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3 weeks ago

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Idaho could see more than $100 million in medical marijuana sales and up to $28 million in new revenue for state coffers under a legalization measure activists are working to put on the November ballot, according to a new economic analysis released by the campaign.

The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) announced this last week collected enough signatures for an initiative to legalize medical cannabis To pass the statewide threshold for ballot qualification, it commissioned the firm Younger Associates to do two fiscal projections of the proposal, using Utah’s medical marijuana program as a model.

“Based on Utah’s participation trajectory, Idaho supports approximately 63,000 active patients and $108.5 million in annual retail sales by Year 6,” the analysis states.

Under the first revenue scenario, a 6 percent state sales tax would be applied to marijuana sales and there would also be a $100 annual patient registration fee, which would generate about $6.5 million in sales tax revenue and $6.3 million by the program’s sixth year.

The second revenue scenario includes the same patient registration cost and sales tax, but also adds an additional 14 percent fee collected at the point of sale. It would generate about $21.7 million a year in tax and fee revenue, in addition to about $6.3 million in annual patient card fees, to bring in $28 million a year from the state.

“Actual revenue will ultimately depend on the final program design and implementation decisions made by the State.” the report he says

In addition to the economic analysis, the NMAI also released a new short video this month saying the measure proposes “strictly regulated market access” for cannabis and treats patients “with dignity rather than fear or stigma.”

The video also features medical marijuana as an “alternative to the devastating effects of opioids” and the initiative “supports local jobs, Idaho agriculture and generates tax revenue while maintaining strong enforcement standards to prevent misuse.”

“This is not about recreation, it’s about care,” he said he says. “The law provides medical freedom to patients to consult with their physician about their health conditions and assert their right to make choices about their own care.”

But since it’s unclear how many signatures the campaign has collected so far and whether activists have met another requirement for petitions to be distributed regionally, NMAI continues to hold signature-gathering events across the state to expand its coalition of supporters ahead of the May 1 submission deadline.

Amanda Watson, communications manager for NMAI, told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that organizers “feel very confident that we will qualify for the ballot in November.”

As of this week, NMAI has collected more than 73,000 total signatures — surpassing the statewide requirement of 70,725 for valid petitions — according to the campaign’s website.

To be certified on the ballot, the group must also submit the signatures of at least 6 percent of registered voters in at least 18 of the state’s 35 legislatures. Marihuana Moment reached out to NMAI for a status update on progress toward that goal, but a representative was not immediately available.

Meanwhile, groups of paid and volunteer applicants they are expanding across the state to high-traffic areas to collect signatures, and the NMAI website has a map showing where registered voters can go to sign.

The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act, introduced by NMAI last October, would provide patients with access to marijuana from a limited number of dispensaries and provide a regulatory framework for the market.

Here are the main provisions Idaho Medical Cannabis Law:

  • Healthcare practitioners may recommend medical cannabis to patients with conditions including cancer, anxiety and acute pain.
  • Medical marijuana patients or designated caregivers can purchase up to 113 grams of cannabis for smoking or 20 grams of THC extract for vaporization per month.
  • The state would issue three vertically-integrated cannabis business licenses, and then potentially six licenses in total.
  • Marijuana would be reclassified under state law, Title II.
  • State and local law enforcement would be prohibited from assisting in drug enforcement activities related to the state’s illegal cannabis program.
  • There would be anti-discrimination protections for those who use or sell marijuana in compliance with state laws, preventing adverse actions by employers, landlords and educational institutions.
  • There does not seem to be any equity-based reform, nor will the initiative be given the opportunity to grow at home.

“We believe Idahoans deserve access to legal, compassionate and natural care right at home,” NMAI’s website states. “Our mission is to provide patients with a legal path to natural medicine to relieve suffering and restore dignity without the fear of addiction.”

“The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act is our first step. It creates a safe and strictly regulated medical program that allows qualified Idahoans to seek medical treatment for cannabis with a valid diagnosis from a health care provider.” he says. “It supports Idaho agriculture, generates tax revenue to reinvest locally and ensures patients can find natural relief.”

Last month, the campaign also released the results of a statewide poll shows that 83 percent of likely voters support the legalization of medical cannabisincluding 74% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats and 92% of independents.

When asked how they would vote if the current legalization of cannabis appears on the November ballot, 76% of respondents said “yes”. Of that cohort, 50 percent said they would “definitely” vote yes, while only 21 percent said they would vote “no.”

After introducing the medical cannabis initiative last year, a separate 2024 campaign, Kind Idaho, told supporters it would cancel its signature drive. ballot initiative to legalize the personal possession and cultivation of marijuana the adults

Pleasant Idaho previously put medical marijuana ballot measures before voters Both in the 2022 and 2024 elections, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, this year voters will see a different type of proposal on the ballot: the constitutional amendment approved by the legislature to make it so. only members of the legislature can legalize marijuana or other controlled substances.

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—

Lawmakers held a separate hearing last March to discuss it bill to legalize medical cannabisbut in the following months there has been no significant action on the matter.

Separately, it would be a bill from last year by Rep. Bruce Skaug (R). set a mandatory minimum fine of $420 for possession of cannabisremoving judges’ discretion to apply lower sentences. Skaug said the bill, which ultimately stalled in committee, would send a message that Idaho is tough on marijuana.

Members of the House of Representatives were also admitted bill to ban marijuana adsalthough the Senate later defeated the measure.

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State hemp license applications end April 30

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21 hours ago

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April 19, 2026

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Those wishing to grow and process hemp this year must apply for a license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) by April 30. Each license is valid until December 31 of the year it is issued. Graduates must reapply annually to continue in the program. An MDA license is required for individuals and businesses.

So far, about 30 people have applied for the 2026 MDA license, compared to 84 applicants last year.

These licenses are for the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp only. The hemp license application is not for adult use or for growing or selling medical cannabis. The application is also not intended for the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Information on adult use and medical cannabis is available Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) website.

There are applications of industrial hemp MDA website. Along with the online form, first-time applicants and authorized representatives must submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.

There are also several updates for the 2026 season. The extraction of cannabinoids from hemp is now regulated by the OCM, meaning that anyone interested in this type of processing will need a separate licence. The rates have also changed. The base cost of a hemp license is now $400, with an additional $250 per growing or processing location. The previous $250 processor license fee has been removed, but a 5% surcharge now applies to upgrades to MDA’s technology systems.

All authorized representatives listed on an application must pass a background check before being licensed. In addition, each lot of hemp must undergo THC testing before harvest, and each official sample collected by the MDA costs $100.

Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture










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Colorado Marijuana Officials Announce Crackdown On Sales Of Hemp Products Amid ‘Risks To Public Safety’

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21 hours ago

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April 18, 2026

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These issues “pose serious risks to public safety, market integrity, and the tax revenue framework that supports Colorado’s regulated cannabis industry.”

By Christopher Osher, ProPublica and Evan Wyloge, The Denver Gazette

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

Colorado regulators announced Monday that they plan to crack down on companies that sell cheaper, potentially dangerous, illegal hemp products as marijuana.

The state’s Division of Marijuana Enforcement said it had identified “compliance issues” that threaten to dismantle the marijuana industry in the nation’s first legal retail market.

These problems “pose serious risks to public safety, market integrity and the tax revenue framework that supports Colorado’s regulated cannabis industry,” the agency said in an industry newsletter.

An investigation by the Denver Gazette and ProPublica in January reported that despite Colorado being one of the first states to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products, the legislature and regulators. he failed adopting many of the rules that other states have used to keep hemp products off the medical marijuana shelves.

Creating evaporative and edible liquid distillate from hemp is much cheaper than using marijuana, giving companies a competitive advantage.

But regulators say they are concerned that manufacturers are relying on toxic and dangerous chemicals to convert the non-toxic CBD compound that is predominant in hemp into THC, the psychoactive compound that makes people feel high. Regulators have banned this chemical synthesis, saying they fear chemical residues could remain in the finished product, putting consumers at risk.

Colorado manufacturers have taken advantage of loopholes in the state’s testing and enforcement system to continue using hemp to make products marketed as marijuana, even though doing so is against state law, according to regulatory studies, previous agency bulletins and testimony and lab results contained in several lawsuits.

In 2024, state investigators found that a popular brand of marijuana sold at dispensaries was not only derived from hemp, but also contaminated with methylene chloride, the chemical often used to convert CBD from hemp into THC. Marijuana is banned by Colorado regulators and banned for most uses by the US Environmental Protection Agency because it can cause liver and lung cancer and damage the nervous, immune and reproductive systems.

Ware House, the company that manufactured these vaporizers, relinquished its marijuana license in response to the investigation. Ware Hause’s owner, Thanh Hau, and the company’s lawyer declined to comment.

Congress passed a law last November that bans nearly all hemp products nationwide starting this fall, but it’s unclear how the government will enforce the ban, and hemp growers are reeling.

In December, President Donald Trump issued an executive order telling his aides to work with Congress to develop rules that could allow certain hemp products.

The Colorado Division of Marijuana Enforcement made the announcement Monday newsletter agency officials stated that they “identified and investigated evidence” that marijuana companies are using illegal practices and prohibited methods to manufacture products, instead of relying on marijuana, which is supposed to be monitored for safety.

The Colorado Hemp Association and the Colorado Hemp Education Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Beyond safety concerns, the bulletin also noted that some marijuana manufacturers and growers are avoiding marijuana tax obligations through “a pattern of non-compliance” in sales operations they report to the state’s “seed-to-sale” tracking system, which tracks marijuana from the initial planting to the sale of flower, vapes and other products at dispensaries.

Companies misrepresent marijuana sales at nominal prices, in some cases as low as $1 per pound for unprocessed marijuana material, the newsletter said. Those products typically fetch more than $600 per pound on the market, depending on the category of marijuana, according to industry experts.

That fraudulent reporting has stolen millions of dollars in marijuana taxes from state and local governments, industry experts say, though no official estimate is available.

The agency said it will follow emergency rules to address these issues. The bulletin emphasized that suspicious and abnormal transactions and inventories detected by the state will prompt investigations. Companies caught using hemp or other illegal material passed off as marijuana face “immediate product embargo, license suspension or revocation, significant fines and law enforcement,” regulators warned.

The Denver Gazette and ProPublica have tried to track the anomalous transactions, but the Division of Marijuana Enforcement’s sales transaction records, even those that do not identify the companies, are not public.

Marijuana industry representatives met with the division’s regulators late last month to push for a more aggressive response to the agency’s hemp replacement, even though it could affect some companies in the industry. The representatives argued that bad actors are unfairly driving down prices and shifting the tax burden to manufacturers and growers who are trying to comply with the rules. The newsletter was released a couple of weeks after that meeting.

“The division is also considering additional changes to its testing and screening protocols” to detect illegal products and prohibited methods, and may require additional laboratory tests “if needed for products throughout the supply chain,” the agency’s bulletin said.

This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network Denver Magazine. Sign up for Submissions to receive stories in your inbox every week.

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Nascent medical cannabis industry aims for growth

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2026

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The medicinal cannabis sector is struggling to take root, and another specialist processing plant is set to close. But with current regulations and a new collective industry in mind, New Zealanders are promising to reduce their reliance on imported medicinals.

There was great excitement when medicinal cannabis was legalized and then regulated in 2020, with the hope of growing the domestic sector and serving patients here and abroad. However, since then, several companies have closed their doors, including Greenfern Industries, Cannasouth and, most recently, Helius Therapeutics.

The latter plans to close the East Tāmaki plant, affecting 65 workers. It is one of the few medicinal cannabis factories in the entire nation that has a specialized processing certificate called “Good Manufacturing Practice” (GMP).

Medical Cannabis Council executive director Sally King said that under current rules, most growers did not have such certification, and could only sell raw ingredients, not processed products such as more profitable cannabis capsules.

Read more at the town










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