I am helping circulate the NORML Wyoming petition to put the question of legalizing the possession of medical marijuana on the ballot in 2016 so the people of Wyoming can vote on it.

I have had many people sign, though some ask: Why support this initiative? My question is: How much are we willing to pay to make sure no one in Wyoming has medical marijuana, even if proponents can show that marijuana has medical benefits to people with cancer, epilepsy and glaucoma, to name a few?

Why lock up people with cancer and other medical conditions in jail or prison or levy heavy fines? Possession of 3.1 ounces of marijuana, medical or otherwise, is a felony punishable up to five years in prison.

CANNABIS CULTURE – Now that Canada is poised to legalize cannabis for all adults, you may grow complacent about how much trouble marijuana can get you into in the United States.

Sure, we’ve got four states (Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington) that have legalized some possession of weed, with another five states (Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada) likely to legalize in 2016. You can even possess pot in our nation’s capital, Washington DC.

CHEYENNE - Members of a state panel said Wyoming is not prepared to regulate or handle the potential consequences of legalizing marijuana.

The Governor's Marijuana Impact Council met Friday as the group prepares to submit a report by early next year on how legalizing marijuana would affect the state.

Gov. Matt Mead, who opposes medical and recreational marijuana, formed the group this fall and directed its members to study the health, economic and social impacts of legalizing the drug.

His move comes as the Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is trying to collect enough signatures to allow voters to decide next year if medical marijuana should be allowed.

A search of a home on Oleander Street on Wednesday resulted in about 54 marijuana plants being seized. A day later, information from that search led to two other searches in Fremont County that turned up hundreds more plants.

Scales, packaging material and about 375 grams of bulk marijuana was also found at 372 Oleander St. by officers with the Casper Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Central Enforcement Team, according to a news release from the WDCI.

Neil Arcuri, 35, was arrested and charged with felony possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and cultivation of marijuana, according to the release.

CASPER, Wyo. — Infighting within a group pursuing a medical marijuana ballot initiative in Wyoming could make the daunting process of gathering enough signatures this winter even more difficult, with the group's newly resigned executive director saying the effort is already in jeopardy.

On Sunday, Jackson resident Chris Christian quit the Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which has been working on legalization issues for years and hired an attorney to draft the Peggy A. Kelley Wyoming Cannabis Act of 2016.

In addition to medical marijuana, the proposal would legalize industrial hemp.

“Taking this on was like herding jackrabbits uphill in a snowstorm,” Christian said Monday.

With more and more states legalizing it, so-called "medical marijuana" is getting a lot of attention these days. In 2014 a University of Wyoming study found 72% of Wyoming residents support adult use of marijuana if prescribed by a physician. Advocates for legalizing cannabis say it has nothing to do with rolling up a joint, but rather taking advantage of a plant they argue can make a real difference in people's lives.

CODY, Wyo. — A state legislative committee plans on sponsoring a bill that would make the possession of 1 pound or more of marijuana edibles a felony.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports the Joint Judiciary Committee decided to sponsor a bill Wednesday for the 2016 session that would criminalize the marijuana-infused products.

Legislators had debated whether to separate the amount of the psychoactive ingredient THC inside an edible, because the testing of THC content in edibles is still being developed in the U.S. But the bill under consideration criminalizes THC and the edibles’ other ingredients.

Alaska

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Alaska include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
• Nausea
• Muscle spasms
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pain
• Seizures

For a complete list of qualifying conditions and guidelines, please refer to Alaska’s application for medical marijuana registry

Arizona

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Arizona include:

WYOMING-COLORADO BORDER – The Rev. Brandon Baker held in his hands two cannabis plants, one industrial hemp and the other marijuana.

They looked similar to the untrained eye, but Baker said the easiest way to spot the difference are the sparkly crystals in the marijuana plant. Industrial hemp doesn’t have them.

Most of the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, is in the crystals, he said.

Wyoming- The Wyoming Medical Society has come out against a possible ballot initiative that would legalize medical marijuana in the state.

The organization counts more than 700 physicians and physician assistants across the state as its members.

In a recently published position paper, it cites concerns that legalizing medical marijuana at the state level would subvert the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's drug approval process.

Medical Society spokesman Tom Lacock says that the group consulted with many Wyoming medical professionals and the Colorado Medical Society in deciding to oppose the proposal.