Legislation introduced in Wyoming this week with the support of the House speaker and other leaders would remove criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of cannabis, replacing the state’s current misdemeanor charge with a $100 fine. Filed Tuesday by state Rep. Mark Baker (R), the multipartisan bill so far has 11 co-sponsors, including House Speaker Eric Barlow (R) and House Majority Whip Jared Olsen (R). Democratic leaders, specifically Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Mike Yin, and Senate Minority Floor Leader Chris Rothfuss, have also signed onto the bill, as having Independent Rep. Jim Roscoe and Libertarian Rep. Marshall Burt. The policy change, which would require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to pass, comes as activists ready a pair of ballot proposals for 2024 that would decriminalize cannabis possession and legalize medical marijuana. Lawmakers in Wyoming’s last legislative session considered a bill to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use, but that measure stalled after advancing out of a House committee in March. The new bill is considerably simpler than last year’s proposal, however. It would carve out an exception to the state’s criminal drug laws, removing the state’s current misdemeanor penalty for possession of small amounts of cannabis. The existing penalty carries a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 02/16/2022 07:12:00