Sheriff: Keep weed out of Kootenai County over July 4 holiday

With the Fourth of July weekend coming up, the Kootenai County sheriff has a message for visitors from across the state line in Washington: leave your marijuana at home.

In a statement on Monday, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office advised visitors that possession and use of drugs are illegal in Idaho, and those laws will be enforced. Every summer, visitors from the Evergreen State come to Kootenai County for recreation and end up behind bars, according to the statement.

“One state’s posture on crime is not an excuse to break the law in the great state of Idaho,” said Sheriff Robert Norris. “If an offender breaks the law in Kootenai County, there will be a bed at the famous Kootenai County Bed and Breakfast, our jail.”

Nearly half of those arrested in Kootenai County during last Independence Day weekend were from Washington, according to data released with the statement. That includes 35 from Spokane.

The statement points out that while Washington has decriminalized marijuana, Kootenai County maintains a zero-tolerance attitude .

“Don’t come to Kootenai County on Vacation and leave on Probation,” Norris said.