Measure · every Idaho voter

HJR 4: Who can legalize drugsOnly the Legislature could legalize marijuana and other drugs

Legislative referral (constitutional amendment): House Joint Resolution 4 (2025), House Joint Resolution 4 (2025). Passes with a majority of the votes cast on it.

Official pamphlet (PDF): Secretary of State 2026 Voter Pamphlet (PDF)

INCOMPLETE: the official ballot wording is NOT shown. The Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Pamphlet (PDF) could only be read through a text summary, not word for word, so we do not print the ballot title here. Open the pamphlet for the exact wording. The "Today" column, the YES and NO lines and the background below are our summary and have not been checked against official text. The rule for how many votes it takes to pass is not stated in the pamphlet pages we read. News quotes and campaign money figures were not re-checked.

In plain words

Today Idaho voters can write a law themselves by gathering signatures (an initiative) and then voting on it. This amendment would take marijuana and other mind-altering ("psychoactive") drugs off that list. Only lawmakers could make them legal. (voteidaho.gov (Idaho Secretary of State) )

Before and after

Question	Today	If it passes
Who can make marijuana or other drugs legal	The Legislature, or voters through a citizen initiative	Only the Legislature
Can citizens petition to put drug legalization on the ballot	Yes	No
Is marijuana legal in Idaho now	No change from today's state law	No change from today's state law

Our summary; the pamphlet statements it draws on are linked above.

Biggest change

Gives the Legislature sole power to legalize marijuana, narcotics or other psychoactive substances, which would block citizen initiatives on the subject. source: news.ballotpedia.org

Who it affects most: Groups that want to put marijuana or other drug measures on the ballot by petition, such as the medical cannabis campaign that tried for 2026.

Cost to the state: Unknown. The pamphlet summary we read says no fiscal impact statement was provided.

Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.

What your vote means

YES

Only the Legislature could make marijuana or other drugs legal; citizens could no longer do it by petition.

Nothing changes: voters could still petition to put drug legalization on the ballot.

Our one-line summary. Check the official pamphlet for the exact wording.

Why people want it, and why others object

Why this is on the ballot

The Legislature put this on the ballot. It changes the state constitution, so only another statewide vote can change it back. It passes with a majority of the votes cast on it.

The Legislature passed it in March 2025: 58-10 in the House and 29-6 in the Senate. Every Republican voted yes; Senate Democrats voted no. source: news.ballotpedia.org
A medical cannabis initiative (the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act) tried to make the 2026 ballot but did not qualify: it fell about 12,700 signatures short and met the signature goal in 13 of the 18 legislative districts it needed. source: idahonews.com

Why supporters want it

Pamphlet statement for it (read as a summary; no author named): "Decisions about legalizing marijuana, narcotics, and other psychoactive substances are too important to be made lightly." It also says the amendment would require public hearings and make legislators accountable for their votes. source: voteidaho.gov (Idaho Secretary of State)
Sen. Scott Grow (R), a sponsor: "Too many legislatures across this nation have sat back and just waited." source: news.ballotpedia.org

Why opponents object

Pamphlet statement against it (read as a summary; no author named): "The people are as capable of making good, careful decisions about drug policy as legislators are." It also says the Legislature could already amend or repeal a poorly written initiative. source: voteidaho.gov (Idaho Secretary of State)
Sen. James Ruchti (D): "The people have a right under the initiative and the referendum process to weigh in on these issues." source: news.ballotpedia.org

Who backs each side

For: the Republican majority in the Legislature, which placed it on the ballot (sponsor Sen. Scott Grow). Against: Senate Democrats voted no. No public record found yet of campaign committees or money for either side. source: news.ballotpedia.org

In each side's own words where we could find them, quoted or summarized with a link to the source. We don't endorse either side.

What you will see on your ballot

Official ballot wording, word for word (tap to open)

The official ballot title, word for word from the Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Pamphlet .

Official wording to come. We publish it only after checking it word for word against the official file.

The official wording will be added after we check it word for word against the official file.

Latest news

Recent reporting from a range of outlets, newest first. We link to it; we don't endorse it.

No articles collected yet for this measure.

Full text of the measure

Adds language to Article III, Section 26 of the Idaho Constitution. Full text is in the Voter Pamphlet. Read it in the Secretary of State 2026 Voter Pamphlet (PDF) .

We link to analysis from several sources; we don't endorse it.