Last verified: May 2026
Gov. Mark Gordon (R)
Mark Gordon took office as Wyoming’s 33rd governor on January 7, 2019. His current term expires January 2027 (term-limited). Gordon has been a careful, institutionalist Republican executive who has not used his office to advocate for cannabis reform. Key cannabis-related actions:
- Signed SF 32 on March 7, 2024 — the hemp-intoxicant ban targeting delta-8 THC and any hemp product over 0.3% total THC. The signing accelerated litigation that produced the October 27, 2025 10th Circuit affirmance in Green Room v. Wyoming.
- "Willing to observe evidence" rhetoric on medical cannabis — Gordon has stated he is willing to consider medical-cannabis evidence but has not affirmatively supported any of the medical-cannabis bills that have come through the legislature during his tenure.
- Did not veto or sponsor cannabis bills — passively allowed the legislature’s anti-reform pattern to operate.
Sen. President Bo Biteman (R-Ranchester, SD 21)
Bo Biteman serves as the Wyoming Senate’s top officer. His Senate District 21 covers Sheridan County and parts of northern Wyoming. Biteman is among the most conservative members of the Senate and a key procedural gatekeeper for legislation reaching the floor.
On March 13, 2026, Biteman announced his candidacy for Wyoming’s at-large U.S. House seat in the 2026 election cycle, positioning himself as an "America First" conservative. Whether or not he wins the primary or general, his candidacy signals continued alignment of WY Senate leadership with the national MAGA movement — making cannabis reform unlikely to advance through the upper chamber under his presidency.
Biteman has consistently voted against cannabis-reform bills during his Senate tenure and has not used the President role to advance reform legislation.
House Speaker Chip Neiman (R-Hulett)
Chip Neiman replaced Albert Sommers as House Speaker in January 2025 with Wyoming Freedom Caucus endorsement. Neiman’s Crook County district is among the most rural and conservative in Wyoming. The Freedom Caucus expansion in the WY House has produced a notably more anti-reform committee environment than the immediately prior Sommers speakership.
Under Neiman’s speakership, HB 166 (2026, Schedule III rescheduling, bipartisan) failed in committee. The 2/3 introduction-vote rule in budget sessions remains a structural barrier; the Freedom Caucus has not signaled willingness to relax procedural rules to permit reform-bill advancement.
Attorney General Bridget Hill
Bridget Hill serves as Wyoming Attorney General, appointed by Gov. Gordon in 2019 and re-confirmed thereafter. Hill’s office defended SF 32 in the Green Room v. Wyoming litigation, securing the October 27, 2025 10th Circuit affirmance written by Judge Hartz. Hill’s office takes the position that 2018 federal Farm Bill does not preempt stricter state hemp definitions — a view the 10th Circuit accepted.
NORML Wyoming Grade: F
NORML’s state report cards assign Wyoming a grade of F — reflecting full prohibition, the 0.3-gram concentrate felony cliff, the internal-possession doctrine, the lack of any per se DUI threshold (which is not a positive in WY because it is paired with a low impairment-only standard rather than reform), the absence of any statewide medical-cannabis program, and the failure of legislative reform across six sessions.
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus Influence
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus, formed in 2023 as the WY House’s aggressive-conservative bloc, has expanded to control or near-control much of the House chamber by the 2025-26 sessions. The Freedom Caucus has aligned with national State Freedom Caucus Network (founded by Rep. Andy Biggs and Rep. Russ Fulcher in 2021) priorities. Cannabis reform has not been a Freedom Caucus priority, and the caucus has voted as a bloc against reform bills.
The caucus expansion in the House combined with Biteman’s Senate presidency and Gordon’s passive-restraint approach in the executive produces a closed political ecosystem for cannabis reform during 2025–2026. Reform pathways are narrow without either a state-level political realignment or federal Schedule III rescheduling forcing state-law alignment.
The 2026 Wyoming Gubernatorial Race
Gov. Gordon is term-limited (cannot seek another term in 2026). The 2026 Republican primary will determine the next Wyoming governor (Wyoming has not elected a Democratic governor since Dave Freudenthal’s tenure ended in January 2011). Several potential candidates have signaled interest, but none of the leading prospective candidates have advocated for cannabis reform. The next governor’s posture toward reform — whether a continuation of Gordon’s passive-restraint approach or a more aggressive anti-reform stance — will shape WY cannabis policy through 2031.
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org
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