Wyoming lawmakers advanced legislative options Thursday as they attempt to close loopholes in marijuana laws for the fourth consecutive year.
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WHEATLAND – Wyoming lawmakers advanced legislative options Thursday as they attempt to close loopholes in marijuana laws for the fourth consecutive year.
The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee voted to narrowly advance two different draft bills to the 2018 budget session relating to the possession of marijuana and other products infused with its intoxicating agent, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
The problem comes from a surge of non-plant-form marijuana products - such as liquids and edibles infused with THC - coming into Wyoming from Colorado, where recreational use of the drug is legal. Wyoming courts have faced challenges in interpreting state statute when people are caught with non-plant products, especially when it comes to applying felony charges for those possessing amounts above and beyond what’s likely for
personal use.
Currently, possession of 3 ounces or more of marijuana in plant form is considered a felony in Wyoming.
The issue becomes complicated when the drug is mixed with other legal elements in the edible and liquid forms. While a brownie or soda infused with THC might weigh more than 3 ounces, for example, crime labs have yet to refine techniques that reliably discern how much of the illegal substance is contained.
Sarah Barrett of the Wyoming State Crime Lab reported to lawmakers recently that no new advances have been made since the last session that might make it easier to discern those elements. This has led to some hesitancy on the part of lawmakers worried they would be voting for laws that could apply felony charges for relatively minor offenses.