JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Supporters of legalized marijuana in Wyoming have high hopes of passing a voter-driven ballot initiative at the next legislative session—something that hasn’t been done in nearly 30 years.
Even as the national climate brightens concerning pot use—36 states now allow medical marijuana and 17 have approved recreational use—Wyoming has hardly bogarted the blunt. State legislators have passed on a hit every time, staying one toke under the line. Further, the last time a voter-sponsored bill made it onto a ballot was 1992.
Left out in the cold by politicians, citizens are organizing their own movement by sponsoring two ballot initiative bills, exercising a right voters have had since 1968 but rarely used. A signature drive is underway but it will be an uphill battle. To make the grade, petitioners need signatures from 15% of the voters who cast a ballot in the last election, and those signatures have to come from at least 15 counties.
Ok, at least Teton and Albany are a given.
But efforts are hardly a pipe dream. For one, 13 of the 17 states that now enjoy cannabis legally did so by similar voter-sponsored movements. And, this time around, Wyoming citizens will have a bit of help from outside influencers like NORML, the National Libertarian Party, and TRUCE.
In addition, polls also indicate most in Wyoming are ready for legalized marijuana. Research from University of Wyoming last December found more than half (54 percent) of state residents now say they support allowing adults in Wyoming to legally possess marijuana for personal use. This continues the steady increase in support observed from 2014, 2016 and 2018, when support rose from 37 percent to 41 percent to 49 percent, respectively.
