A proposed Idaho medical cannabis initiative moves closer to the 2026 ballot after advocates submitted more than 150,000 signatures.
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A cannabis reform group in Idaho announced this week it had submitted more than 150,000 signatures from voters who support legalizing medical marijuana in the state. An outlier in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho is one of the few states nationwide that continues to prohibit all forms of weed.
To qualify the medical cannabis legalization initiative for the November 2026 ballot, the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho must submit signatures from registered voters totaling 6% of the electorate in 18 of the state’s 35 counties. Amanda Watson, communications lead for the campaign, said on Wednesday that the group had submitted well over the required total.
“After a rigorous signature gathering effort that stretched to every corner of Idaho, the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho is proud to report that more than 150,000 signatures across all 44 counties of Idaho were submitted by the May 1 deadline in the effort to qualify the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act for the November 2026 ballot,” Watson said, according to a report from the Lewiston Tribune.
County clerks will now have until June 30 to verify signatures from their respective jurisdictions. Counties will then submit certified totals to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, where state officials will determine if the proposed measure qualifies for the ballot. To qualify, the initiative must receive a total of 70,725 signatures while also meeting the 6% threshold in at least 18 counties.
“During the work our teams did on the ground to reach Idahoans and obtain the necessary signatures (and well beyond), we were moved and inspired by the many individuals who expressed support, shared their stories and reiterated their appreciation for the democratic process that allows for their voice to be heard through a citizen-led effort,” said Watson, according to a report from Marijuana Moment.
“This milestone belongs to the tens of thousands of Idahoans who signed,” she added. “Together, we have moved the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act one step closer to the ballot and one step closer to a decision made by the people of Idaho themselves. Now we await the count, and the chance to bring this issue before voters in November.”
If passed, the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act would allow doctors to recommend the use of marijuana to treat conditions including cancer, anxiety, acute pain and others. Medical cannabis patients and their caregivers would be permitted monthly purchases of up to 113 grams of smokeable cannabis, or 20 grams of THC extract for vaping.
The state’s medical marijuana patients would initially be served by three vertically integrated cannabis companies, which would cultivate, process and distribute medical marijuana products to patients. An additional three licenses could then be issued.
Bridget Spiddle , public policy and content coordinator for the cannabis reform advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project, notes that “Idaho remains one of the few states without a legal framework for medical cannabis, leaving patients with chronic pain, terminal illnesses, and debilitating conditions without access to a proven, therapeutic option that is available in nearly every neighboring state.”
“Because the legislature has consistently blocked progress and doubled down on prohibitionist policies,” Spiddle writes in an email, “it is now more important than ever for Idahoans to take the lead and pass a compassionate medical cannabis law, especially in the face of efforts to permanently strip voters of the power to legalize any controlled substances, including medical cannabis, in the future.”
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