Marijuana advocate Ryan Davidson is in Hailey this week rounding up signatures on cannabis legalization petitions with the goal of putting the issue before the city's electorate on Nov. 6.
Time is running short. He has until Friday to file two petitions. The first is a prospective initiative petition that requires the signatures of 20 registered Hailey voters and the second is a final petition that needs the signatures of only 17 of the city's registered electorate.
Both petitions require processing time with the city clerk, but Davidson, a Garden City resident and chairman of The Liberty Lobby of Idaho, is confident that all the paperwork will be completed by the deadline.
"I'm trying to bang it all out and get everything out before Friday," Davidson said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the city of Ketchum has certified a prospective initiative petition that Davidson filed with the city more than three years ago.
Davidson was notified of the certification in a Sept. 12 letter from Ketchum City Attorney Benjamin Worst.
But Davidson has his sights set on Hailey for now. He's taking advantage of a low voter turnout at the city's uncontested general election in 2005 when only 85 voters showed up at the polls. His final petition to get his marijuana legalization petition on a ballot requires 20 percent of the number of folks who voted at the last general election.
Davidson is starting to smell victory after three years of legal battles with the cities of Ketchum, Hailey and Sun Valley. Court victories have included a 2006 Idaho Supreme Court decision that said cities haven't the right to determine the constitutionality of initiative issues and a U.S. federal court decision last week that struck down Hailey's residency requirement.
Davidson said he's received a lot of support from local residents.
"Definitely more positive than negative," he said. "Most of the people are supportive of the concept in general. I'd say it's been a phenomenal response."
If a marijuana legalization initiative is approved by voters in the Wood River Valley, the issue could end up in further litigation because of conflicts with state and federal law.
