Wyoming Pot Bills Miss Deadline, Dead For This Session
A bill that would have legalized marijuana for people over the age of 21 in Wyoming has died in the legislature after missing a deadline on Monday.
A medical marijuana bill, House Bill 82, also died on Monday by virtue of missing the same deadline.
House Bill 209 recently won approval from the House Judiciary Committee on a 6-3 vote. House Bill 82 was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on a 5-1 vote.
But House leaders effectively killed the bills on Monday by not bringing them to the House floor for first reading by the end of the day. Monday was the deadline for the first reading in the house of origin for the 2021 legislative session.
While supporters of the measures could bring forward similar bills next year, that will be more difficult since 2022 is a budget session of the legislature. That means it will take a 2/3 majority vote in either house of the legislature to bring forward any non-budget item for consideration. The next general session of the legislature, when non-budget items can be brought forward without a 2/3 vote will be in 2023.
A fiscal note attached to House Bill 209 had estimated that it would raise about $49.5 million dollars annually. About $31 million of that money would have gone to Wyoming schools under the school foundation program.