Update: Lawmakers failed to reconcile the House and Senate versions of HB 197, killing it for this legislative session.
Update: The Senate has passed the amended version of HB 197 by a 20 to 10 vote. The measure now must be reconciled with the House.
Update: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved HB 197, however the scope of the bill has been narrowed enough that NORML now opposes this legislation. HB 197 now only covers the possession of marijuana infused products weighing up to three grams. Due to the changes, Wyoming NORML has also withdrawn support of the bill. Frank Latta, Executive Director of WY NORML, stated, “A lot of us worked for several years to reach a compromise we could live with,” but that the Senate changes are too much to tolerate.
Update: Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have proposed amendments to HB 197 that largely gut the bill.
As passed by the House by a 56 to 2 vote, HB 197 reduces existing marijuana possession penalties from up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine to no more than 20 days in jail and a $200 fine for first-time offenders. Repeat offenders would face stricter penalties under the proposal.
But recently approved changes by members of the Senate eliminate these penalty reductions.
House and Senate leaders must now reconcile the two versions of the bill.
NORML urges you to tell your lawmakers to reject the Senate changes and to approve HB 197 in the manner in which it was passed by the members of the House.
For more information about legislative efforts in the state, please visit Wyoming NORML http://www.wyomingnorml.org/.
