Cannabis is strictly illegal in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. The state has some of the strictest cannabis laws in the United States. Cannabis itself is not allowed for medical purposes, but a 2015 law allows limited use of non-psychoactive

Cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. , clinical research on CBD in ...

. An effort was made to place two

initiatives In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...

on the 2022 ballot, one to legalize medical cannabis, and the other to decriminalize personal use. Possession of under of cannabis is a misdemeanor that can be punished with up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine; possession of over three ounces is a felony.

Prohibition

Wyoming passed laws banning cannabis in the early 20th century, though sources differ as to the exact date: 1913 or 1929.

Medical use

In July 2015, a law took effect allowing the use of cannabidiol to treat

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...

s. The law is narrow and does not provide for in-state access.

Attempts to change legality

In 2015, the Wyoming chapter of the

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. Ac ...

(NORML) gathered signatures to place legal medical marijuana on the 2016 election ballot as a

ballot initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

. Wyoming has some of the most stringent ballot initiative requirements in the country, due to which the state has not seen a public initiative reach the ballot since 1991. In 2016, legislation in the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

to decriminalize possession of or less of marijuana (sponsored by State Representative James Byrd of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

) failed for the third year in a row. In 2017, supporters sought 25,000 signatures to put the ''Peggy A. Kelley Wyoming Cannabis Act of 2016'' on the 2018 ballot as a public initiative, but failed to gather the required signatures by the February 14 deadline. In 2021, a bill was filed by lawmakers that would legalize cannabis both for recreational and medical use. The bill however later died in the Wyoming House of Representatives after it was missing a deadline.

2022 initiatives

On June 11, 2021, two

s were introduced by the Libertarian Party of Wyoming, one to legalize cannabis for medical use, and another to decriminalize personal use. On August 11, after the certification of an initial 100 signatures, the

secretary of state of Wyoming The secretary of state of Wyoming is the state secretary of state of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is a constitutional office, established under the Constitution of Wyoming and the secretary of state accedes to the governorship in case of a vac ...

approved the start of general signature-gathering for the initiatives. 41,776 signatures will be required to place each initiative on the

2022 general election The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local ...

ballot. Libertarian State Representative Marshall Burt, who co-sponsored the failed effort to legalize cannabis through an act of the legislature, is supporting the initiatives. Speaking alongside patient advocates and

Libertarian National Committee The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national ...

Chair Joe Bishop-Henchman on the steps of the

Wyoming Capitol The Wyoming State Capitol is the state capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Wyoming. Built between 1886 and 1890, the capitol is located in Cheyenne and contains the chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature as well as the office ...

prior to delivering the initiatives to the secretary of state, he said "the Legislature knows that this is coming", and expressed confidence that organizers would be able to collect enough signatures to place the initiatives on the ballot. If the efforts are successful, these would be the first initiatives to appear on a Wyoming ballot in three decades.

2023 and 2024 ballot

In 2023, two major efforts failed. First, it was announced that enough signatures had been collected for the 2024 ballot, but did not qualify based on geographical location. Second, in Cheyenne, there was an effort to decriminalize but it also failed. On September 19, 2023 a Joint Judiciary meeting was held and the topic of lessening penalties for cannabis was mentioned.

Rachel Rodriguez-Williams Rachel Rodriguez-Williams is an American Republican politician and businesswoman serving as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from the 50th district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 4, 2021. Early life and ...

cited the high potency of modern THC and regarding current Wyoming cannabis laws stated “I think this is pretty lenient compared to other states throughout the nation.“Joint Judiciary Meeting, September 19, 2023-AM.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Sept. 2023, https://m.youtube.com/live/UDUEmK_pFms?si=2uZ5QJQUolu-6mas. Accessed 20 Sept. 2023.

Polling

An October 2014 poll of Wyoming residents conducted by the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

found that 35% supported legalizing the use of marijuana by adults, while 60% opposed such a measure. However, a large majority favored allowing adults to use marijuana if prescribed by a physician (72% support, 25% oppose). Compared to a previous survey in 2000, the 2014 results showed a modest increase in support for legalized personal marijuana use and no change in support of medical marijuana use. A 2016 study by the University of Wyoming showed that 81 percent of Wyoming residents supported legalizing prescribed medical cannabis.

References

{{Cannabis in the United States

Wyoming culture