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Idaho still stagnant on pot legalization, decriminalization

In this Sept. 15, 2015, file photo, marijuana plants with their buds covered in white crystals called trichomes, are a few weeks away from harvest in the “Flower Room” at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill. (Seth Perlman / Associated Press)

BOISE – As several states have moved to allow the use of recreational or medical marijuana, Idaho has maintained a hard stance against legalization of the drug.

The Idaho State Journal reports that Democratic Sen. Roy Lacey of Pocatello says Idaho tends to “lag behind,” and thoughts on marijuana need to change before laws are considered in the future. No bills are being considered in the state Legislature regarding medical marijuana or decriminalization.

The Legislature approved a bill last year that would’ve allowed people who suffer from seizures to use cannabis oil, which contains small amounts of marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient, THC. But Gov. Butch Otter vetoed the legislation.

Republican Sen. Jim Guthrie of McCammon says it’s more likely that criminal penalties will be reduced for marijuana in Idaho than legalization.