RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HJR 4
Preserving Legislative Authority For Legalization of Psychoactive Substances in Idaho
WHEREAS, Article III, Section 24 of the Constitution of the State of Idaho declares:
“The first concern of all good government is the virtue and sobriety of the people, and the purity of the home.
The legislature should further all wise and well directed efforts for the promotion of temperance and morality”;
and
WHEREAS, Article III, Section 26 of the Idaho Constitution grants the Idaho Legislature “full power and
authority” to regulate intoxicating liquors (which are psychoactive substances); and
WHEREAS, the legalization of psychoactive substances may have significant consequences for individuals,
families, workplaces, highways, public health, public safety, and Idaho communities; and
WHEREAS, decisions regarding the legalization of psychoactive substances warrant careful consideration
through the legislative process, including public committee hearings, testimony from citizens and experts,
review and debate in both houses of the Legislature, as well as accountability to Idaho voters; and
WHEREAS, the Idaho Legislature currently exercises responsibility for the state’s controlled-substance laws
and considers changes to the Idaho Controlled Substances Act; and
WHEREAS, HJR 4 will preserve the Legislature’s ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities concerning
temperance, sobriety, public health, and public safety by ensuring that legalization of psychoactive substances
occurs only through legislative action;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Teton County Republican Central Committee hereby
declares its support for HJR 4 and the proposed amendment to Article III, Section 26 of the Constitution of the
State of Idaho; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Committee supports reserving to the Idaho Legislature the authority
to determine whether psychoactive substances should be legalized in the State of Idaho; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Committee encourages Idaho voters to consider and support the
proposed constitutional amendment when it is presented to Idaho electors.
ADOPTED by the Teton County Republican Central Committee this 23rd day of September, 2026.
Ed Yeager
Chairman, Teton County Republican Central Committee
Date
09/23/2026
A Resolution of Opposing Proposition 1 Appearing on the November 3, 2026 General
WHEREAS, The Declaration of Independence proclaims that all persons, “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and that among those rights are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” establishing that the protection of innocent human life is among the first duties of just government; and
WHEREAS, Idaho’s first territorial legislature in 1864 took steps to protect both the lives of preborn and of mothers, prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother, and this remained the law of the State of Idaho for 110 years until the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade prevented Idaho from enforcing its longstanding policy of protecting life; and
WHEREAS, Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution of the State of Idaho declares “All men are by nature free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing and protecting property; pursuing
happiness and securing safety;” and
WHEREAS, Idaho Code Section 18-8802 recognizes that “the life of each human being begins at fertilization, and preborn children have interests in life, health, and well-being that should be protected,” reflecting Idaho’s longstanding commitment to protecting both mothers and their unborn children; and
WHEREAS, the Idaho Republican Party Platform declares “Human personhood begins at the moment of fertilization and ought to be protected and cherished from that moment on;” and
WHEREAS, Proposition 1 appearing on the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot undermines every previous precedent, purporting to establish a statutory “right” to abortion; and
WHEREAS, Idaho Attorney General Raúl R. Labrador issued a Certificate of Review identifying matters of substantive legal concern regarding Proposition 1, including ambiguity concerning a “right to privacy”; the binding of future legislative action contrary to longstanding precedent; uncertain interactions with existing Idaho law; and conflict with the inalienable right to life of preborn children; and
WHEREAS, current Idaho law honors physicians’ good faith medical judgment in determining that the termination of a pregnancy is necessary to prevent the death of the mother; and
WHEREAS, Idaho law protects the treatment of ectopic or molar pregnancy, miscarriage, and other emergent situations and protects privacy and freedom within the patient/provider relationship in regard to all reproductive health care with the sole exception of the intentional termination of preborn life which is a criminal act under Idaho law; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 1 represents a radical departure from Idaho’s cultural respect for life, leaving preborn life vulnerable to abortion well into the third trimester and allowing the deliberate destruction of preborn life after viability in the case where a medical emergency is declared, despite early delivery proving a safer solution for both mother and baby; and
WHEREAS, maternal mortality rates have decreased since Idaho’s Defense of Life Act was passed; and abortion and its related complications endanger the lives of women, presenting greater risk to maternal health and well-being than delivery; and
WHEREAS, the breadth of Proposition 1 threatens statutory protections enacted under Roe v. Wade, including waiting periods, parental consent, physician only requirements, etc. making it far more radical than the status quo under Roe; and
WHEREAS, the erosion of safeguards such as parental consent negatively impact opportunities to identify and prevent sex trafficking and other forms of sexual abuse; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 1 establishes legal protections for any entity providing or assisting in the provision of reproductive health care to persons of any age, including abortion; and
WHEREAS, the Teton County Republican Central Committee believes that Idaho’s laws should continue to protect both mothers and their preborn children, uphold constitutional government, and provide clarity, stability, and certainty.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Teton County Republican Central Committee affirms that the protection of innocent human life is among the first duties of just government as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Idaho Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Teton County Republican Central Committee formally declares its opposition to Proposition 1 and respectfully urges the voters of Idaho to vote NO on Proposition 1 at the General Election on November 3, 2026; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Idaho Republican State Central Committee, members of the Idaho Legislature representing Legislative District 35, Idaho’s congressional delegation, local news media, and other interested organizations.
ADOPTED 9/9/2026, by the Teton County Republican Central Committee.