Pubdate: Thu, 19 Dec 2013
Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY)
Copyright: 2013 Lee Enterprises
Contact:  http://www.trib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765
Author: Ben Neary, the Associated Press

DEBATE LOOMS OVER LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IN WYOMING

CHEYENNE (AP) - A debate over whether Wyoming should legalize
marijuana may be about to flare up.

Bordered to the north and south by states that have legalized some
uses of marijuana, Wyoming still counts marijuana possession as a
crime. Possession of anything over 3 ounces in the Equality State is
felony territory, enough to put a person in prison for five years.

Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, said this week that she intends to
introduce a bill in the legislative session that starts early next
year to decriminalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Independently, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws
(NORML), is preparing to kick off a petition drive to get an
initiative that would allow full legalization of marijuana for both
medicinal and recreational purposes before state voters in 2016. The
group has pressed the issue nationwide and worked on the successful
decriminalization effort in Colorado.

Wallis, a rancher who started in the House in 2007, in recent sessions
has opposed proposals to restrict the right of Wyoming women to seek
abortion services. She's also stood up for granting equal rights to
same-sex couples.

Wallis said the death a year ago of her husband, Rod McQueary, brought
the issue of legalizing medical marijuana into sharp focus for her.
She said he benefited greatly from medical marijuana from Colorado in
his last days.

"And as a result of that experience, and the research that I've done
since then, I have become absolutely convinced that basically what
killed him was prescription painkillers as a result of an old horse
wreck that split his pelvis and screwed up his back and never healed
correctly," Wallis said.

Christine Christian of Jackson, a registered lobbyist for NORML, said
Thursday that her group intends to submit final papers to the
Secretary of State's Office this week to begin the process of
collecting signatures to bring a ballot issue on marijuana
decriminalization to state voters in 2016.

"Legalizing cannabis across the board, for all medical, recreational,
and the use of cannabis hemp, is an economically sound decision that
the United States needs to make for our economy," Christian said. She
said the group intends to get more than 70,000 signatures to force the
measure.

Wallis said she recently toured marijuana production and distribution
facilities in Colorado. That state already allows medical marijuana
and plans to allow the legal sale of the drug for recreational
purposes starting Jan. 1. Of the other states bordering Wyoming,
Montana also allows medical use of marijuana.

Wallis said changing attitudes toward marijuana nationally may help
her convince fellow lawmakers. The coming legislative session deals
primarily with budget issues and it will take a two-thirds vote to
approve the introduction of her bill.

Wallis said she personally doesn't have a problem with legalizing
marijuana for recreational use, but she won't push the issue in the
coming session.

Rep. Kendell Kroeker, R-Evansville, serves on the House Judiciary
Committee - a likely destination for Wallis' bill if it gets enough
votes for introduction.

"In general, I would probably be for the idea, but I would have to see
the specifics of the bill before I could comment for sure," Kroeker
said this week.

Kroeker noted that a number of legitimate medicines can be harmful if
they're abused. "And if there's ways where marijuana properly taken
can help somebody out with one of their conditions, I don't see why
the government should tell somebody they shouldn't have that treatment
option available to them," he said.

Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He said he doesn't believe Wallis' medical marijuana bill will get
enough votes for introduction.

"I think we'll have to evaluate it," Hicks said. "I think there's
going to be a great scrutiny, given the history of abuse of the
medical marijuana in some of the surrounding states. I think that's
going to be the number one issue: how do you tighten it up. Clearly if
there's an opportunity for somebody to use it, and a true medicinal
purpose, I don't think anybody's opposed to that for very few people.
The question is how do you control it."
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