While a growing number of states are taking steps to legalize marijuana, Wyoming should keep it illegal, the Powell City Council says.

At their May 20 meeting, council members indicated they oppose the idea of decriminalizing the drug.

Councilman Geoff Hovivian was the lone member to voice support for legalization, noting the opportunity for the government to tax the controlled substance.

“People are doing it anyways,” Hovivian offered. “Might as well collect on the revenue.”

However, Councilman Steve Lensegrav countered that, “sometimes the revenue’s not worth the issues.”

The brief debate came as the council discussed 10 resolutions that will be considered at next month’s Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) Summer Convention; the association — which represents city and town governments — will lobby lawmakers on the resolutions that win enough support from representatives at the convention.

The Cheyenne council sponsored the marijuana resolution. The body considered an ordinance last year that would have symbolically decriminalized the possession of the drug within city limits, but voted it down after hearing that a piecemeal, city-by-city approach could prove problematic. In July, the Cheyenne council instead passed a resolution calling on lawmakers to “reconsider the decriminalization of cannabis” across the state. The resolution notes a 2020 University of Wyoming survey, which found 54% of state residents supported legalization for personal use and 85% supported medical use. 

Depending on how you classify their laws, upwards of 40 states have legalized cannabis in some way. Additionally, the Biden administration recently announced its intent to loosen federal restrictions and reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug.

However, the substance remains fully illegal in Wyoming. In fact, the Legislature just tightened the state’s laws further by banning a marijuana-like substance known as delta-8.

Powell council members didn’t appear much more receptive to the drug than state lawmakers. Responding to the decriminalization proposal, Councilman Floyd Young offered that, “We’re just going to have a bunch of doofus kids if we keep this up.”

Pricier liquor licenses?

The Powell council members did endorse several other resolutions, however, including a few other opportunities to raise more revenue.

One proposal endorsed by the council calls on lawmakers to provide “more flexibility for localities to levy taxes that makes sense within their jurisdictions to be utilized for community priorities.”

Council members backed a pair of resolutions calling for the ability to charge up to $15,000 a year for retail liquor licenses. 

The documents note the current $1,500 ceiling hasn’t been changed since 1965, and is well below the $10,500 fee allowed for more restrictive bar and grill licenses.

(The City of Powell charges $1,500 a year for both license types, but requires an initial $5,000 fee for bar and grill licenses.)

Getting lawmakers to back higher fees would be “a tough battle,” City Administrator Zack Thorington predicted, but Mayor John Wetzel said he thought the change would be “great.”

“Go for it,” said Councilman Zane Logan.

Meanwhile, council members remain neutral on several other proposals they were unclear on, such as a Cheyenne request to allow for the creation of animal control districts.

All of the resolutions will be considered at WAM’s June 5-7 convention in Pinedale, where Hovivian will serve as the city’s voting representative.