Our Mission

What This Site Is

CannabisWyoming.org is a state-level guide in the TryCannabis.org Cannabis Education Network. We provide:

• Wyoming Law — full prohibition under Wyo. Stat. ch. 35-7; the 0.3-gram concentrate felony cliff (§ 35-7-1031); cultivation/distribution penalties (§ 35-7-1031(a) and § 35-7-1040); the "internal possession" doctrine (§ 35-7-1031(c)); cannabis DUI under impairment-only standard (§ 31-5-233).
• Hemp — Hemp Extract Act 2015 narrow CBD-only carve-out for intractable epilepsy (§§ 35-7-1901-1904); SF 32 (2024) hemp-intoxicant ban; Green Room v. Wyoming 10th Circuit October 27, 2025 affirmance; federal hemp cliff late 2026 (McConnell provision 0.4 mg THC per package).
• Cross-Border — Colorado I-25 dominant market (Cheyenne ~100 mi to Denver); Montana northern WY drives (Sheridan/Buffalo/Gillette/Cody to Billings); WHP 12 K-9 units; 2016 Laramie County weekend deployment (313 lbs / 25 felonies / 26 misdemeanors / 400 stops).
• Wind River — Northern Arapaho May 8, 2021 General Council vote; Eastern Shoshone medical-marijuana commission; no operational tribal dispensary as of May 2026; comparable EBCI Great Smoky / FSST Native Nations / Squaxin / Shinnecock programs.
• Ballot & Politics — 2024 ballot petitions failed 14-of-23-counties geographic threshold (16 needed); six failed legislative sessions 2017-2026; Gordon/Biteman/Neiman anti-reform leadership; Case/Olsen/Provenza reform coalition; budget-session 2/3 introduction trap.
• Cities — Cheyenne (state capital, F.E. Warren AFB, $141B Sentinel program, WHP HQ at 5300 Bishop Boulevard); Casper (oil & gas, drug-testing reality); Laramie (University of Wyoming, Albany County reform pocket); Jackson/Cody/Sheridan/Yellowstone gateway.
• Workplace — right-to-work + at-will; no cannabis-specific protections; Hemp Extract Act cardholders not protected from drug testing; DOT/federal-contractor/safety-sensitive roles zero-tolerance regardless of state law.
• Culture — the Cowboy State paradox (libertarian identity, prohibitionist reality); energy-industry dominance (Powder River Basin coal, oil/gas, trona/soda ash, uranium); LDS-aligned southwestern WY (Star Valley, Bridger Valley); ACLU 5.2× Black-vs-white arrest disparity (2018 data).
• Resources — WDA, WDH, DCI, WHP; statutes; ACLU of Wyoming, Wyoming NORML, Compassionate Options Wyoming, MPP, Wyoming Liberty Group.

The Defining Wyoming Story

Wyoming is the least-populated U.S. state (~580,000 residents) and one of the most restrictive cannabis-prohibition jurisdictions in the country. The state borders Colorado (legal-rec since January 2014) and Montana (legal-rec since January 2022) and is bisected by I-25 and I-80 — some of the most heavily-patrolled cannabis-interdiction corridors in the United States. The Wyoming Highway Patrol operates 12 K-9 units; the 2016 Laramie County weekend deployment yielded 313 lbs of marijuana, 25 felony charges, and 26 misdemeanors over 400 traffic stops.

The 0.3-gram concentrate felony cliff under § 35-7-1031 is among the harshest concentrate thresholds in the United States — comparable only to Kansas and parts of Texas. A single vape cartridge can produce a felony charge. The "internal possession" doctrine permits prosecution on metabolites alone — meaning a Wyoming driver who lawfully consumed cannabis in Denver Saturday and drove back to Cheyenne Sunday with no product in the vehicle can face independent felony exposure based on blood/urine THC metabolite results.

The 2024 Wyoming ballot petitions for medical cannabis and decriminalization gathered 48,687 and 47,426 raw signatures respectively — exceeding the statewide minimum — but failed because Wyoming requires 15% of prior gubernatorial-election turnout in 2/3 of counties (16 of 23). Organizers met the threshold in only 14 counties. Per Ballotpedia, Wyoming’s ballot-initiative geographic-distribution rule is the most stringent in the United States.

The Wyoming legislature has killed cannabis-reform bills across six consecutive sessions (HB 197 2017, HB 278 2019, HB 209 2021, HB 144 2023, HB 204 2024, HB 191 2025, HB 166 2026). HB 209 (2021) cleared House Judiciary 6-3 and remains the high-water mark. The budget-session 2/3 introduction-vote rule has killed multiple reform bills before substantive consideration. This is the story this site exists to tell.

Who We’re Written For

• Wyoming residents navigating the 0.3-gram concentrate cliff and the "internal possession" doctrine.
• Hemp Extract Act cardholders with intractable epilepsy.
• Defendants in cannabis cases — possession, paraphernalia, cultivation, DUI, civil-asset-forfeiture proceedings.
• Hemp retailers facing SF 32 + the November 2026 federal cliff.
• Federal-employed Wyoming residents — F.E. Warren AFB, federal contractors, security-clearance holders, federal-grant-funded healthcare and research.
• Energy-industry workers in coal, oil/gas, trona, and uranium operations subject to drug-free-workplace policies.
• Wyoming reform-curious voters and activists — particularly those engaging with the 2026 election cycle and the legislative reform coalition.
• Cross-border travelers — particularly considering Colorado or Montana cannabis access.
• Wind River reservation residents tracking Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribal cannabis policy.

What This Site Is Not

• Not a cannabis business. We don’t sell products.
• Not a law firm. Educational information, not legal advice.
• Not a medical practice. Educational information, not medical advice.
• Not advocacy-affiliated. We respect ACLU of Wyoming, Wyoming NORML, Compassionate Options Wyoming, Wyoming Liberty Group, MPP, but are not part of any of them.
• Not a campaign organization.

Methodology

• Wyoming sources — Wyoming Statutes (ch. 35-7, ch. 31-5, §§ 35-7-1901-1904); Wyoming Department of Agriculture; Wyoming Department of Health; Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation; Wyoming Highway Patrol.
• Court records — Green Room LLC v. Wyoming, 10th Cir., October 27, 2025 (Hartz, J.); Wyoming v. EPA, 10th Cir., 2017; Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348 (2015).
• Industry sources — Marijuana Policy Project; National NORML; U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
• Civil-society sources — ACLU of Wyoming; ACLU 2020 "A Tale of Two Countries" report.
• Federal sources — DEA; USDA Agricultural Marketing Service; U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Wyoming; Federal Register August 2024 DEA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Schedule III rescheduling.
• Press — Cowboy State Daily, WyoFile, Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Jackson Hole News & Guide, Cody Enterprise.
• Tribal sources — Northern Arapaho Business Council, Eastern Shoshone Business Council statements; tribal-cannabis program comparable-jurisdiction reporting (EBCI Great Smoky, FSST Native Nations).

Last Verified

Each page on this site shows a "Last verified" date. WY cannabis law evolves session-by-session; the 2026 election (open governor race — Gordon term-limited) and the federal hemp cliff (late 2026, McConnell provision) make the next 12 months particularly volatile. We aim to keep content current but always recommend verifying current statutes with WDA, WDH, the Wyoming Legislature, or a Wyoming attorney before relying on any statement here for legal decisions.

Companion Sites

• TryCannabis.org — the network hub.
• COCannabis.org — cross-border CO (Cheyenne → Denver dominant route).
• CannabisMontana.com — cross-border MT (northern WY drives).
• CannabisIdaho.org — sister prohibition state to the west.
• CannabisSouthDakota.org — sister state to the east (medical only after voter-erased rec).
• CannabisUtah.org — sister state to the south (medical only).

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