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Elisha Figueroa
David Hensley
Tammy Perkins
Opposition to cannabis bill
Friday, April 10, 2015 6:06:33 AM

David,
During yesterday's meeting with the Governor, I was ineffective in expressing the depth of concern I
have regarding the marijuana bill. It was poor timing to have an off day after working tirelessly all
session to oppose this and I apologize.
When you next discuss this issue with him, will you please convey two important points that I failed to
make?
1. I do not for a minute believe parents will become drug traffickers or abuse this law, as has been
stated by proponents. However, with no hesitation I will tell you that the criminal element in this state
will use this law to disguise their illegal drug activity. It will provide the perfect shield for them to get
very high THC butane hash oil, a very popular marijuana trend, into the state. We are already seeing
this version of the drug in Idaho and law enforcement has no way to tell the difference between this
very potent oil and CBD oil.
2. Although the intent of this bill is compassionate, the language is loose and the bill very poorly
crafted. If Idaho is going to open this door, please allow me the opportunity to bring stakeholders
together and do it correctly. We could craft a bill that will provide the access parents desire but with
safeguards to ensure law enforcement and prosecutors can continue to effectively protect the public.
Although I worked with Senator Winder on just such a draft this session, he chose to hold it in favor of
the FDA study.
My recommendation is to issue an Executive Order for the FDA study to demonstrate our commitment
to this issue. Then, if it is still desired, we can use the time between now and the next session to
develop a cannabis oil bill that will minimize damage to the extent possible. Again, I apologize for not
better conveying that message yesterday.
As a footnote, yesterday the Marijuana Policy Project, a national pro-legalization group that has spent
millions of dollars to pass individual state marijuana laws, issued a policy alert urging it's members to
contact Governor Otter. New Approach Idaho has been working hard this week to rally their members
as well and I'm sure you're being inundated with emails and calls. I once again point out, why would
these pro-legalization groups be working so diligently to pass this law if they did not see it as opening
the door for their efforts?
Thank you, David, for your continued support.
Elisha
Sent from my iPhone