State Affairs committee sends constitutional amendment to House floor to make legalizing unlawful drugs harder

The House State Affairs Committee voted 12-3 to advance House Joint Resolution 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require two-thirds of each chamber of the Idaho Legislature to approve any future change that would make currently unlawful drugs lawful.

Representative Skog, sponsor of HJR3, told the committee the amendment would give Idaho voters and lawmakers a higher bar for legalizing drugs that are currently illegal. “We need 2 thirds of the House and of the Senate to get this onto the, ballot initiative, and that's what we're seeking to do,” Skog said. He cited Oregon's legalization experience as a warning and said the proposal was designed so “we allow the voters to decide to vote against the illegal drugs becoming illegal, at least making it very…