Legislative session ends with no action on cannabis policy reform proposals

Legislative session ends with no action on cannabis policy reform proposals

Wyoming is one of just a few states that continues to criminalize adults and patients for possessing and using cannabis. Unfortunately that reality will continue for the foreseeable future as lawmakers failed to advance reform legislation in the 2023 legislative session.

Local activists have vowed to renew efforts to place cannabis policy reform measures before voters to decide after a previous campaign fell short of the signature gathering requirements to qualify for the ballot. State law would require 29,730 valid voter signatures to qualify a statutory initiative for the 2024 ballot.

A statewide poll from 2020 found that 54% of Wyoming residents support legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults — an increase of almost 20 points from 2014.

Legalization proposed, but did not pass, in 2021 session

During the 2021 legislative session, committees passed HB 209, which would have legalized, taxed, and regulated cannabis for adults, and HB 82, which would have required the state to study the possible creation of a medical cannabis program. Unfortunately, the full House chamber took up neither bill before its deadline to do so.

Wyoming's neighbors in Colorado, South Dakota, and Montana have all legalized cannabis for adults. A recent pollfound that 54 percent of Wyomingites support legalizing personal possession of cannabis for adults.

Ask your lawmakers to follow the will of the majority of Wyomingites and legalize and regulate cannabis for adults!

ACLU study shows staggering racial disparities in cannabis arrests 

According to a 2018 ACLU study, Wyoming ranks ninth in the nation for the greatest racial disparities in cannabis possession arrests. Black individuals in Wyoming are 5.2 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession as whites, despite similar usage rates.

While legalization does not eliminate disparities, it dramatically reduces the total number of cannabis arrests. Ask your lawmakers to end cannabis prohibition and replace it with a fair and just system of regulation.

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