Six Failed WY Legislative Sessions of Cannabis Reform (2017–2026)

Last verified: May 2026

HB 197 (2017) — Decriminalization

HB 197 (2017), sponsored by Rep. Cathy Connolly (D-Albany), proposed reducing personal-use possession to a civil infraction comparable to a traffic ticket. The bill failed in committee. The 2017 session was the first organized legislative effort post-Colorado-recreational legalization (which had been operational since January 2014).

HB 278 (2019) — Medical Cannabis

HB 278 (2019) proposed a Wyoming medical-cannabis program with patient registration, qualifying conditions, and licensed dispensaries. The bill died in committee without a substantive floor vote. Wyoming’s lack of medical-program statutory framework dates from this period — even neighboring conservative states (Utah, Montana) had medical programs operational well before this point.

HB 209 (2021) — Full Legalization

HB 209 (2021), sponsored by Rep. Jared Olsen (R-Cheyenne), was the most aggressive Wyoming reform bill to date. The bill would have legalized adult-use possession of up to 1 ounce. House Judiciary Committee cleared HB 209 on a 6–3 vote — the only WY adult-use reform bill ever to clear a committee. The bill then died in the full House without a floor vote, in part due to opposition from then-House Speaker Eric Barlow. The 2021 committee passage remains the high-water mark for Wyoming legislative cannabis reform.

HB 144 (2023) — Medical Cannabis

HB 144 (2023) proposed a renewed Wyoming medical-cannabis framework. The bill died in committee. By 2023 the political environment had shifted further right with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus expanding its House influence; reform bills faced a more hostile committee environment than in 2021.

HB 204 (2024) — Decriminalization (Budget-Session 2/3 Failure)

HB 204 (2024), sponsored by Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie), proposed reducing personal-use possession to a civil infraction. Because 2024 was a Wyoming budget session (even-numbered years), introduction of a non-budget bill required a two-thirds vote of the chamber. HB 204 failed the 2/3 introduction threshold and never received a substantive committee or floor vote. The budget-session 2/3 introduction rule has been the procedural death trap for multiple reform bills.

HB 191 (2025) — Decriminalization

HB 191 (2025), again sponsored by Rep. Provenza, proposed personal-use decriminalization. The bill failed in the House Judiciary Committee. Provenza has been the most consistent decriminalization sponsor in the WY House, drawing heavily on her constituency in Albany County (Laramie / University of Wyoming).

HB 166 (2026) — Schedule III Rescheduling

HB 166 (2026), introduced as a bipartisan response to the August 2024 federal DEA proposed rule moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, would have aligned Wyoming’s state controlled-substances schedule with the proposed federal change. The bill had cosponsors from both parties — including Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland, Speaker Pro Tempore). The bill failed in committee, demonstrating that even passive alignment with federal rescheduling does not draw majority WY legislative support.

The Budget-Session 2/3 Introduction Trap

Wyoming’s legislature meets in alternating "general" sessions (odd-numbered years, ~40 days) and "budget" sessions (even-numbered years, ~20 days, focused on the biennial budget). Budget-session rules require a 2/3 vote of the chamber to introduce any non-budget bill. The 2/3 introduction threshold has killed multiple cannabis-reform bills before they could reach committee on substantive merits. The procedural rule effectively halves the available reform-window in any two-year cycle.

The Pattern Across Six Sessions

Six consecutive sessions of failure across multiple sponsors, multiple proposal architectures (decrim, medical, adult-use, Schedule III alignment), and shifting political alignments demonstrate that the Wyoming legislature’s opposition to cannabis reform is structural rather than circumstantial. The legislature’s conservative-majority composition, the budget-session 2/3 trap, the entrenched law-enforcement-institutional opposition, and the absence of significant industry lobbying for reform combine to produce a near-zero pass rate.

What Would Change the Pattern

The most plausible paths to legislative reform:

• Federal rescheduling (DEA Schedule III) effective could create pressure for state-law alignment.
• Generational legislative turnover — cannabis-reform polling correlates strongly with age; legislature demographic shift could change committee dynamics.
• Republican primary pressure from libertarian-aligned candidates — Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) demonstrates that small-government rhetoric can carry cannabis reform; expanding that coalition would matter.
• Cross-border revenue arguments — Wyoming residents currently spend cannabis dollars in Colorado and Montana. Quantified revenue loss to neighboring states is a fiscally-conservative argument for reform.

Related on this site: 2024 WY Ballot Petition, WY Reform: Sen. Case, Gov. Mark Gordon.