Eastern Shoshone to vote on medical marijuana in Wyoming

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Tribal leaders in Wyoming have announced a special general 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 145 miles west of Casper, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday.

A public meeting will be held two days before the vote to receive more information on medical marijuana.

Tribal member Bobbi Shongutsie will present agenda items to decriminalize medical marijuana by removing it from the Shoshone and Arapaho Law and Order Code, legalize medical marijuana and create a regulatory commission.

So-go-Beah Naht-Su, a group advocating for the benefits of medical marijuana, has been promoting the economic benefits of decriminalization and pushing for legalization.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said last year that the state did not yet have a position on the idea of tribes legalizing medical cannabis. But support for the effort has been growing since last year, and a University of Wyoming poll showed more than half of the state's residents supported legalization.

Neighboring Colorado has legalized medical marijuana, and residents in Montana and South Dakota voted in favor of legalization last year. South Dakota's decision remains tied up in court.