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Marijuana supporters are launching a campaign to create a ballot initiative for the 2016 election that would seek to legalize the drug in Wyoming.
The goal is one of the missions of the newly formed Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
The group was formed on April 20, a date also known as "420" and that is celebrated as a holiday of sorts by pot supporters.
The group's executive director is Jackson resident Christine Christian. She said she has advocated for legalizing marijuana ever since she studied psychology at the University of Wyoming during the 1990s.
But with the recent passage of marijuana legalization laws in Colorado and Washington, she and others wanted to create a formal group to push for similar changes here.
Christian said Wyoming's marijuana laws costs the state millions each year and make criminals out of thousands of residents.
"There are way too many people in jail over possessing minor amounts of marijuana," she said. "All we are doing is sending them to jail and making them better criminals."
Possession of up to three ounces of marijuana in Wyoming is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Possession of more than 3 ounces is a felony, punishable by up to five years and a $10,000 fine.
Additionally, using or being under the influence of marijuana is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $100. Sale or delivery of marijuana is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
The American Civil Liberties Union recently reported that 2,254 people were arrested on marijuana charges in 2010 in Wyoming. Of those arrests, 93 percent were only for possession and not for the manufacture or sale.
The report goes on to say that Wyoming spends more than $9 million a year enforcing its marijuana laws.
Linda Burt, executive director of the ACLU of Wyoming, agrees the state should legalize marijuana, saying it is a privacy issue.
"It's an individual's choice, and by all accounts it is not harmful in small, personal amounts," she said. "We liken it to having a drink in your own home."
But many lawmakers and Gov. Matt Mead oppose legalization.
During a recent news conference, Mead said there would be societal consequences if marijuana is legalized.
"One of the arguments, of course, you hear with regard to marijuana is that it's no worse than alcohol," said Mead, who served as federal prosecutor in Wyoming before winning his current office.
"I don't necessarily agree with that. But even if that was the case, I am not interested in adding another substance that we have to fight with from everything to driving impaired to the other social costs that go with it."
Sabrina Giesler, secretary of Wyoming NORML, said the group will need to focus on education and messaging to convince critics of the benefits of legalization.
"Alcohol is much more of a problem than pot," she said. "There has not been one recorded death in all of mankind attributed to marijuana. Even eating peanuts kills more people each year."
She said they also will argue for marijuana's medical benefits.
"When I was able to have a medical license (in Colorado), it really helped with my bipolar," she said. "It allowed me to calm down and focus. I have such a minimal story compared to so many others."
The group is also working to slowly expand and become more visible in the state.
Wyoming NORML recently launched a website and Facebook page. They include statistics and arguments for the cause.
NORML is circulating a petition through moveon.org, urging policymakers to tax and legalize marijuana here. More than 1,130 people had signed it as of Thursday afternoon.
But that is just a warm-up to their main challenge: getting enough signatures to make the ballot in 2016.
The state requires organizers of initiatives to submit the signatures of 15 percent of the registered voters who voted in the last statewide election.
That would have required 37,606 valid signatures if the group had wanted to achieve its original goal of making it on for 2014 election.
The group chose to try for 2016 instead because of the time, cost and challenges involved with getting that many signatures.
Christian and Giesler agreed it could be hard to achieve this, given the high standards to get on the ballot.
In addition, they would be working in a state that is far more conservative than Washington or Colorado.
But Christian said public opinion toward marijuana has shifted rapidly in the past several years. She added that many Wyomingites have strong libertarian attitudes that could look favorably on their cause.
"We don't like being told what to do by the federal government," she said. "And Wyoming doesn't like regulations and having our money go somewhere else."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: wyomingnews.com
Author: Trevor Brown
Contact: Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online
Website: Supporters push for legal pot in Wyoming - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online
The goal is one of the missions of the newly formed Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
The group was formed on April 20, a date also known as "420" and that is celebrated as a holiday of sorts by pot supporters.
The group's executive director is Jackson resident Christine Christian. She said she has advocated for legalizing marijuana ever since she studied psychology at the University of Wyoming during the 1990s.
But with the recent passage of marijuana legalization laws in Colorado and Washington, she and others wanted to create a formal group to push for similar changes here.
Christian said Wyoming's marijuana laws costs the state millions each year and make criminals out of thousands of residents.
"There are way too many people in jail over possessing minor amounts of marijuana," she said. "All we are doing is sending them to jail and making them better criminals."
Possession of up to three ounces of marijuana in Wyoming is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Possession of more than 3 ounces is a felony, punishable by up to five years and a $10,000 fine.
Additionally, using or being under the influence of marijuana is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $100. Sale or delivery of marijuana is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
The American Civil Liberties Union recently reported that 2,254 people were arrested on marijuana charges in 2010 in Wyoming. Of those arrests, 93 percent were only for possession and not for the manufacture or sale.
The report goes on to say that Wyoming spends more than $9 million a year enforcing its marijuana laws.
Linda Burt, executive director of the ACLU of Wyoming, agrees the state should legalize marijuana, saying it is a privacy issue.
"It's an individual's choice, and by all accounts it is not harmful in small, personal amounts," she said. "We liken it to having a drink in your own home."
But many lawmakers and Gov. Matt Mead oppose legalization.
During a recent news conference, Mead said there would be societal consequences if marijuana is legalized.
"One of the arguments, of course, you hear with regard to marijuana is that it's no worse than alcohol," said Mead, who served as federal prosecutor in Wyoming before winning his current office.
"I don't necessarily agree with that. But even if that was the case, I am not interested in adding another substance that we have to fight with from everything to driving impaired to the other social costs that go with it."
Sabrina Giesler, secretary of Wyoming NORML, said the group will need to focus on education and messaging to convince critics of the benefits of legalization.
"Alcohol is much more of a problem than pot," she said. "There has not been one recorded death in all of mankind attributed to marijuana. Even eating peanuts kills more people each year."
She said they also will argue for marijuana's medical benefits.
"When I was able to have a medical license (in Colorado), it really helped with my bipolar," she said. "It allowed me to calm down and focus. I have such a minimal story compared to so many others."
The group is also working to slowly expand and become more visible in the state.
Wyoming NORML recently launched a website and Facebook page. They include statistics and arguments for the cause.
NORML is circulating a petition through moveon.org, urging policymakers to tax and legalize marijuana here. More than 1,130 people had signed it as of Thursday afternoon.
But that is just a warm-up to their main challenge: getting enough signatures to make the ballot in 2016.
The state requires organizers of initiatives to submit the signatures of 15 percent of the registered voters who voted in the last statewide election.
That would have required 37,606 valid signatures if the group had wanted to achieve its original goal of making it on for 2014 election.
The group chose to try for 2016 instead because of the time, cost and challenges involved with getting that many signatures.
Christian and Giesler agreed it could be hard to achieve this, given the high standards to get on the ballot.
In addition, they would be working in a state that is far more conservative than Washington or Colorado.
But Christian said public opinion toward marijuana has shifted rapidly in the past several years. She added that many Wyomingites have strong libertarian attitudes that could look favorably on their cause.
"We don't like being told what to do by the federal government," she said. "And Wyoming doesn't like regulations and having our money go somewhere else."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: wyomingnews.com
Author: Trevor Brown
Contact: Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online
Website: Supporters push for legal pot in Wyoming - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online
