Senate committee sends $300 minimum fine for marijuana possession to the floor after hour of testimony

The Idaho Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee voted to send House Bill 7 to the Senate floor with a “do pass” recommendation after roughly an hour of public testimony and floor debate on setting a $300 mandatory minimum fine for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Bruce Skaug, told the committee the measure sets “a floor” on fines for possession and said $300 is a compromise figure reached after negotiations. He noted law-enforcement groups back the bill and said the state should be more of a deterrent to possession than neighboring states that have legalized marijuana.

The debate centered on two lines of argument: supporters — including police associations and county sheriffs — said a clear minimum fine would deter cross-border purchases and rising local harms they attribute to greater availability; opponents and several witnesses warned the fine would disproportionately affect low-income people, could harm ill patients who obtain cannabis to manage symptoms, and would remove judicial discretion.

Representative Bruce Skaug, the bill sponsor, told the committee he was asked by a judge to bring the measure and described the proposal as setting “a floor” for…