Wyoming activists prepare cannabis reform initiatives

Activists in Wyoming are handing out petitions for two votes to reform cannabis policy in the state, including one to legalize medical marijuana and a second to reduce penalties for cannabis crimes.

Wyoming is one of a dozen or so states that have not yet passed laws to legalize cannabis in any form, although data from the University of Wyoming shows a majority of residents support cannabis reform and 85 percent support the legalization of medical cannabis. Last year in the Wyoming House of Representatives, a bill to research medical marijuana and another measure to legalize and regulate cannabis died without a hearing, despite both measures being approved by the House Judiciary Committee.

Activists propose two ballot papers

Due to the legislature’s inability to pass cannabis laws, the Libertarian Party of Wyoming is leading the campaign for two voting initiatives to reform marijuana policy in the state. The first proposal would legalize the medicinal use of cannabis, while the second would reduce penalties for cannabis offenses.

To qualify a cannabis legalization initiative for election in Wyoming, organizers must collect enough signatures to get 15 percent of the votes cast in the 2020 general election, when turnout was particularly high due to the hotly contested presidential race. The initiative campaign must also collect signatures from 15 percent of voters in at least two-thirds of Wyoming’s 23 counties.

Around 278,000 people cast their vote in the 2020 general election, which means activists will need to collect more than 41,000 qualified voter signatures for any initiative in order to qualify for the 2024 election. Initiative campaigns have an 18 month window to collect the required signatures, with cannabis legalization organizers given a deadline of January 23rd to meet the requirement.

After collecting the signatures, the organizers must submit petitions to the Foreign Minister’s office for review. When enough signatures have been collected from registered voters, the successful measures will be added to the ballot and put into effect with the approval of the majority of voters.

Organizers say this year’s election is too early to garner enough signatures for the 2022 vote. Instead, they hope to qualify the measures for the 2024 general election. Apollo Pazell, chief strategist of the National Libertarian Party, told reporters that the campaign has so far collected about 30 percent of the required signatures.

“Everything seems to be in time,” said Pazell.

Not a simple suggestion

Wyoming’s requirements for electoral initiatives to qualify for election are among the strictest in the country, according to election information website Ballotpedia. As a result, it is a seldom used method of passing law in the state.

“The electoral initiatives are not as widespread here as in other states,” Ryan Frost, Public Information Officer of the state Legislative Service Bureau, told the Caspar Star-Tribune.

Campaign organizer Mario Presutti said most of the people who support efforts to reform cannabis policy in Wyoming are signing both petitions. But when appropriate, volunteers prioritize the Medical Cannabis Initiative, which now has about five percent more signatures than the Cannabis Penalty Reduction Initiative.

“We think the patient has to come first,” said Pazell. “This has proven to be an invaluable drug for so many patients … that is being withheld for political reasons.”

In the past three months, approximately 1,100 residents of Sheridan County, Wyoming, have signed petitions to legalize cannabis. Sheridan Police Department chief Travis Koltiska warned voters to see what they support at the ballot box.

“This has been a state-wide discussion for many years, and there is language that seeks to influence people on both sides of the issue,” Koltiska told the Sheridan Press. “When people look at this petition, they need to get the facts. Because some good things can come out of it, but also some bad things. From our point of view a complicated topic. “

Koltiska acknowledged that “there are substances in cannabis that have been shown to have medicinal benefits,” although he is also concerned that legalizing cannabis could lead to substance abuse and crime.

“The potential legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is worrying, given the potential for abuse of any substance that affects cognitive abilities,” Koltiska said. “The same goes for alcohol. If alcohol wasn’t already legal, I’m not sure I would support legalization efforts based on what we see in our department every day. Over 80 percent of our arrests are alcohol and drug related, and it’s difficult to support anything that has the potential for serious abuse. “

Keith Goodenough, a former senator from the Democratic State of Wyoming, attempted to pass cannabis reform laws in the early 2000s but was foiled by more conservative politicians. He predicted that this time the activists would face even more resistance from the right.

“The fundamentalist candidates have consistently taken a stand against cannabis,” he said. “(There are) a lot more fundamentalist lawmakers in there than before.”