Eastern Shoshone to vote on medical marijuana in Wyoming | State

CASPER (AP) – Wyoming tribal leaders announced a special meeting this month to vote on the legalization and decriminalization of medical marijuana.

The Eastern Shoshone General Council will vote on May 15 at Rocky Mountain Hall on the Wind River Reservation, about 230 kilometers west of Casper, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday.

A public session will be held two days before the vote to learn more about medical marijuana.

Tribe member Bobbi Shongutsie will introduce agenda items to decriminalize medical marijuana by removing it from the Shoshone and Arapaho Law and Order Act, legalizing medical marijuana, and establishing a regulatory board.

So-go-Beahnah-Su, a group advocating the benefits of medical marijuana, has promoted the economic benefits of decriminalization and pushed for legalization.

Wyoming governor Mark Gordon said last year that the state has not yet taken a position on the idea that tribes legalize medical cannabis. However, support for these efforts has increased since last year, and a survey by the University of Wyoming found that more than half of the state’s residents were in favor of legalization.

Neighboring Colorado legalized medical marijuana, and residents in Montana and South Dakota voted to legalize it last year. South Dakota’s decision remains pending in court.