It's not like Idaho's Republican Gov. Butch Otter has things to do, like figuring out how to get health care to 78,000 people in the Medicaid gap. Idaho didn't accept Medicaid expansion because Otter was trying to keep the jack-booted foot of the federal government off of the throat of the state. But now that the jack-boot is on a Republican foot, and the question is weed, bring it on.
Idaho Republicans stand united against most federal mandates from Washington, D.C., especially when Democrats are in control. But when Republicans take control of the federal strings of power, this authority seems less ominous.
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter showed this shift in a Jan. 30 letter to President Donald Trump. He wrote that he looked forward to the closer collaboration with federal agencies than he experienced during the Obama years.
And he sought more flexibility from a host of programs, from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But he specifically urged Trump to use the full power of the federal government against neighboring states that have legalized marijuana.
“Among the most pressing concerns facing Idaho, both from the criminal and public health standpoints, is the utter lack of consistency displayed by the Obama administration in enforcement of federal marijuana laws,” Otter wrote. “In that respect, Idaho is a virtual island of compliance, and we are paying the price.”
Ask your average Idahoan if they feel oppressed by being surrounded by states—Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Nevada—that allow either medical or recreational marijuana or both, and they'd probably say "huh?" Ask them if they have health care and they'll probably say "no." Who knows, they might even also tell you that access to weed over the border helps them treat chronic pain or glaucoma or some other condition that they can't get treated by a doctor because they can't afford to go to one.
But by all means, Otter, continue this hypocritical crusade and further alienate Idaho from the enlightened region we're surrounded by. They love having us to make fun of.