I’ve shared my opinion in the past about House Joint Resolution 4, which will be on the November ballot. I would encourage you to vote no.

It’s cleverly disguised as a vote against legalizing marijuana use. But if you vote yes, it could eliminate citizen initiatives forever, on any topic. Vote no on HJR 4 if you want to keep your right to make laws that affect you — without the Legislature.

The group Reclaim Idaho said:

“HJR 4 looks like it gives the Idaho legislature exclusive authority to legalize marijuana or any other drug. It would block citizens from legalizing these substances. This is an attack on the ballot initiative process itself and the right of Idaho citizens to make their own decisions.: If the legislature can take away our right to decide on marijuana, it can take away our right to decide on any other issue—whether it be education policy, healthcare policy, or anything else.”

Just last week, Missouri voters rejected Amendment Four. It’s a measure that would have eliminated the citizen-led ballot-initiative process there. Missouri voters resoundingly rejected the measure. It was an 80-20 landslide, according to Reclaim Idaho. The amendment failed in all 114 of Missouri’s counties.

We have to do the same here. No on HJR 4. The initiative is not just about drugs. As Reclaim Idaho is trying to teach us, HJR 4 is about our power as citizens to make decisions for ourselves.

There’s an upcoming event that will discuss HJR 4. It will be held Sept. 1, noon in Idaho Falls; the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon at the Downtown Event Center.

To date, it’s the closest town hall-type meeting on this topic to Eastern Idaho. Get on their website and reserve a spot.