Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
After more than a year of writing and rewriting, organizers behind a medical marijuana ballot measure believe they're close to finalizing the proposal.
The initative needs only a few minor changes before the Wyoming Secretary of State staff gives it preliminary approval, said Chris Christian, of the Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Approval would allow supporters across across the state to begin gathering more than 25,000 signatures required before Feb. 8, the deadline for it to appear on the November 2016 ballot.
The Wyoming Secretary of State's staff could not say whether NORML will obtain the preliminary approval, since it has yet to review the latest version.
The proposed initiative, The Peggy A. Kelly Wyoming Cannabis Act of 2016, would legalize marijuana for medical reasons and allow the state's residents to grow hemp.
More than 70 percent of Wyoming residents support medical marijuana, according to a University of Wyoming poll last year. Only 35 percent supported recreational use.
The state Legislature considered six bills relating to cannabis in the session that ended March 6 including decriminalization to a marijuana impact study. Two bills passed: A bill that legalizes a hemp extract known as CBD oil for treatment of seizures and a bill that eases penalties for first-time drug possession.
Pot proponents think the Legislature is moving too slowly, which is why they're pushing an initiative.
The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police is following the initiative, said Byron Oedekoven, the group's executive director.
"We're in the process of developing position points and a position paper," he said. "We will be opposing that initiative, and we're looking to offer some education to refute some of the absurd ideas that they're putting forth as reasons why it should be legalized."
Revisions
For about 18 months, Wyoming NORML has worked on different versions of the proposal, all of which have been rejected because they did not conform to the standards for a law in Wyoming. The organization then hired a Denver attorney to draft a proposal. Members now feel confident it is nearly there, said Christian, a Jackson resident with NORML.
The group delivered the latest version on April 20 or 4/20, a holiday of sorts for marijuana users.
The secretary of state staff rejected it shortly after, but Christian said the necessary changes are minor, such as word changes and specifying which current laws it would repeal.
Christian plans to deliver the changes to Cheyenne early next week, she said.
After its delivery, the Wyoming Secretary of State staff has seven days to review it and with the state attorney general and Legislative Service offices, said Wyoming State Elections Director Peggy Nighswonger.
If everything meets state standards, it will be certified, Nighswonger said. Supporters then have 18 months to obtain enough signatures for a ballot measure. But if Wyoming NORML wants to be on the 2016 ballot, it will have less than a year, Nighswonger said.
Sponsors Vs. Signatures
Christian is looking for 100 or more people to sponsor the proposed act to help collect the necessary 25,673 signatures - which is 15 percent of total ballots cast in the last election.
Christian figures she'll need about 53,000 signatures, since many of the signatures will not be counted if they're not registered to vote or don't live in Wyoming.
Thus far, NORML found about 25 of the 100 people needed to sponsor the proposal, Christian said.
"The sponsors are taking on the responsibility of seeing that the printing costs and the publishing costs of the petition are covered," she said. "That's why we are careful who we are having sign it. We need responsible people. We don't think it's going to cost us over $50 apiece. But we are telling people when they (sponsor) there is an obligation here."
Rep. Jim Byrd, D-Cheyenne, was the first Wyomingite to sign up as a sponsor.
In the past two years of the Wyoming Legislature, Byrd has sponsored a decriminalization bill that would have replaced jail time with civil fines for people caught in possession of a small amount of marijuana.
He said he'll continue to push for decriminalization in the Legislature.
"Essentially, it's the right direction to go," he said of the proposed initiative. "It's a little bit farther than what I want to do to, but it's the right thing to do."
Byrd said pushing toward legalization of medical marijuana goes further than decriminalization, which he believes is a baby step.
"It's a big leap to jump in and say, 'OK, we're going to do medical marijuana,'" he said.
Cheyenne writer Edith Cook agreed to be a sponsor because she wants the state to legalize hemp farming. She'd be interested in growing it on her farmland south of Wheatland. She believes it would diversify agricultural production in Wyoming.
Hemp seeds are used to make oils used in food such as salad dressings. The seeds are used in granola. Hemp is a different part of the cannabis plant than marijuana. It contains only traces of the psychoactive component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinoid or THC, she said.
"The United States imports a lot of hemp products from Canada," she said. "We could be producing it ourselves."
Wyoming NORML ultimately wants to see legalization for recreational purposes, too, but the proposed initiative stops at medical marijuana legalization.
"We did not want the measure to fail by a few votes and have people who need the medical portion of the bill now have to wait," Christian said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wyoming supporters behind proposed marijuana initiative eye 2016
Author: Laura Hancock
Contact: missoulian.com | Contact Us us
Photo Credit: Dan Cepeda, Casper Star-Tribune
Website: Missoulian: Missoula News and Resources for Western Montana
The initative needs only a few minor changes before the Wyoming Secretary of State staff gives it preliminary approval, said Chris Christian, of the Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Approval would allow supporters across across the state to begin gathering more than 25,000 signatures required before Feb. 8, the deadline for it to appear on the November 2016 ballot.
The Wyoming Secretary of State's staff could not say whether NORML will obtain the preliminary approval, since it has yet to review the latest version.
The proposed initiative, The Peggy A. Kelly Wyoming Cannabis Act of 2016, would legalize marijuana for medical reasons and allow the state's residents to grow hemp.
More than 70 percent of Wyoming residents support medical marijuana, according to a University of Wyoming poll last year. Only 35 percent supported recreational use.
The state Legislature considered six bills relating to cannabis in the session that ended March 6 including decriminalization to a marijuana impact study. Two bills passed: A bill that legalizes a hemp extract known as CBD oil for treatment of seizures and a bill that eases penalties for first-time drug possession.
Pot proponents think the Legislature is moving too slowly, which is why they're pushing an initiative.
The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police is following the initiative, said Byron Oedekoven, the group's executive director.
"We're in the process of developing position points and a position paper," he said. "We will be opposing that initiative, and we're looking to offer some education to refute some of the absurd ideas that they're putting forth as reasons why it should be legalized."
Revisions
For about 18 months, Wyoming NORML has worked on different versions of the proposal, all of which have been rejected because they did not conform to the standards for a law in Wyoming. The organization then hired a Denver attorney to draft a proposal. Members now feel confident it is nearly there, said Christian, a Jackson resident with NORML.
The group delivered the latest version on April 20 or 4/20, a holiday of sorts for marijuana users.
The secretary of state staff rejected it shortly after, but Christian said the necessary changes are minor, such as word changes and specifying which current laws it would repeal.
Christian plans to deliver the changes to Cheyenne early next week, she said.
After its delivery, the Wyoming Secretary of State staff has seven days to review it and with the state attorney general and Legislative Service offices, said Wyoming State Elections Director Peggy Nighswonger.
If everything meets state standards, it will be certified, Nighswonger said. Supporters then have 18 months to obtain enough signatures for a ballot measure. But if Wyoming NORML wants to be on the 2016 ballot, it will have less than a year, Nighswonger said.
Sponsors Vs. Signatures
Christian is looking for 100 or more people to sponsor the proposed act to help collect the necessary 25,673 signatures - which is 15 percent of total ballots cast in the last election.
Christian figures she'll need about 53,000 signatures, since many of the signatures will not be counted if they're not registered to vote or don't live in Wyoming.
Thus far, NORML found about 25 of the 100 people needed to sponsor the proposal, Christian said.
"The sponsors are taking on the responsibility of seeing that the printing costs and the publishing costs of the petition are covered," she said. "That's why we are careful who we are having sign it. We need responsible people. We don't think it's going to cost us over $50 apiece. But we are telling people when they (sponsor) there is an obligation here."
Rep. Jim Byrd, D-Cheyenne, was the first Wyomingite to sign up as a sponsor.
In the past two years of the Wyoming Legislature, Byrd has sponsored a decriminalization bill that would have replaced jail time with civil fines for people caught in possession of a small amount of marijuana.
He said he'll continue to push for decriminalization in the Legislature.
"Essentially, it's the right direction to go," he said of the proposed initiative. "It's a little bit farther than what I want to do to, but it's the right thing to do."
Byrd said pushing toward legalization of medical marijuana goes further than decriminalization, which he believes is a baby step.
"It's a big leap to jump in and say, 'OK, we're going to do medical marijuana,'" he said.
Cheyenne writer Edith Cook agreed to be a sponsor because she wants the state to legalize hemp farming. She'd be interested in growing it on her farmland south of Wheatland. She believes it would diversify agricultural production in Wyoming.
Hemp seeds are used to make oils used in food such as salad dressings. The seeds are used in granola. Hemp is a different part of the cannabis plant than marijuana. It contains only traces of the psychoactive component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinoid or THC, she said.
"The United States imports a lot of hemp products from Canada," she said. "We could be producing it ourselves."
Wyoming NORML ultimately wants to see legalization for recreational purposes, too, but the proposed initiative stops at medical marijuana legalization.
"We did not want the measure to fail by a few votes and have people who need the medical portion of the bill now have to wait," Christian said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wyoming supporters behind proposed marijuana initiative eye 2016
Author: Laura Hancock
Contact: missoulian.com | Contact Us us
Photo Credit: Dan Cepeda, Casper Star-Tribune
Website: Missoulian: Missoula News and Resources for Western Montana
