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Hemp limitation bill goes to the House

By
Trina Dennis Brittain with the Rocket Miner, via the Wyoming News Exchange

ROCK SPRINGS — Independently- owned hemp shops are in jeopardy as the Wyoming Legislature looks at strict regulations.
 
Senate File 32, Hemp Limitations on Psychoactive Substances, would wipe out anyone’s ability to sell hemp products containing delta-8, delta-10, HHCo and other products with minimal THC in Wyoming.
 
SF 32 passed its third reading on Thursday, Feb. 22, and has been sent to the Wyoming House of Representatives. From there, it will go to the committee review and floor debate and may be amended. If it passes with no amendments, it is sent to Gov. Mark Gordon for his approval or veto.
 
Sam and Alicia Watt, owner of Platte Hemp Company LLC, expressed how the bill would impact their business. Their inaugural storefront was established in December 2018, located at 118 5th St., in downtown Rawlins. According to the couple, they opened their doors out of a dire need for green alternatives to cigarettes and prescription drug addiction, particular opioids.
 
Sam is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He has been coping with PTSD for several years; this has inspired their journey toward exploring natural options for managing his condition, according to the couple.
 
“I totally understand that it’s politics; I knew it was going to be an uphill battle to educate people since we’ve started our business,” said Sam.
 
He explained that they test their products in a facility in California and the product doesn’t go on the shelves or on their website until they are good to go.
 
“The testing facility has nothing to do with the manufacturers so they’re honest,” he said, mentioning that it costs $750 per test.
 
He noted that there is “a lot to learn about the plant.”
 
“There’s so much crap on the internet and you want a safe alternative,” he said. “The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP) are totally against cannabis, and they refuse to get educated.”
 
A representative from WASCOP made a presentation about the impacts marijuana has had on communities during a Rock Springs City Council meeting on Sept. 19, 2023.
 
“They say, ‘There’s no way this stupid plant will help this many people,’” he said.
 
Sam revealed that Veterans Affairs prescribed him narcotics for PTSD. The situation got worse when he mixed them with alcohol, he admitted.
“If it wasn’t for Alicia, I’d be gone. She got me off opioids,” he expressed. “It has been a blessing.”
 
Time is running out for the couple, as well as other hemp business owners.
 
Alicia said, “We are trying to reach the governor and as many people as we can.”
 
According to the Watts, Platte Hemp has paid out $587,000 since 2018, in sales tax revenue.
 
“It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry just in hemp, and this bill will kill it,” Sam pointed out. “What they’re doing is illegal. They’re not educated one bit. They’re being unethical and they’re not being fair to Wyoming.”
 
Sam was a deputy in Iowa. 
 
“They think this is marijuana and they send it to DCI, but they’re only familiar with Delta 8 so it comes out positive,” he said. “We know the industry. People trust us; we want our communities to be safe.
 
“When people go to other states to get it, they’re not helping our tax revenue. The senators aren’t looking at the bigger picture. They snuck this bill in.”
 
Alicia pointed out that in just a few days, they were able to change seven votes; in fact, the vote was 28-3 during the first reading. By the third reading, there were 18 ayes and 13 nays.
 
“In a week, we’ve been able to educate some of them so far,” she said. “It’s sneaky; they should have let the public speak about it.”
 
HB171, the legalization of hemp products and production, passed in 2019. The bill allows the possession, purchase, transportation and use of hemp and hemp products by any person allowable without restriction. The tetrahydrocannabinol content must be below 0.3%, though, according to the bill.
 
“Because of House Bill 171, Wyoming can’t do this,” Alicia said, adding that legislators are destroying multi-billion- dollar operations in the state. “It’s really sad for the state of Wyoming because they’re going to take away the very thing for chronic pain. I won’t even be able to give CBD gummies to my dogs.”
 

 
According to its advocates, CBD provides the following benefits for pets:
 
 Fighting cancer
 Relieving pain
 Reducing inflammation
 Helping the nervous system
 Helping epilepsy
 Fighting arthritis
 Stimulating appetite
 Reducing anxiety 
 
“The way this bill is written, it will cripple our state,” Alicia warned.
 
The couple mentioned that they have 34 employees with health insurance plans.
 
Alicia said, “We are very vulnerable to this state and our constitutional rights are being violated. In a week, our work could be shut down after all the blood, sweat and tears were put into this, as well as the time away from family.”
 
Sam revealed that three legislators called and asked them to clarify some information regarding hemp.
 
“Why are they voting ‘yes’ when they don’t have any education on this?” asked Sam. “The reason we’re successful is because we do it right. We know how it benefits everyone.
 
“It blows my mind that the legislature isn’t looking at the bigger picture.”
 
He said that a senator’s mother takes CBD for arthritis pain.
 
“I told him, ‘If you pass this, she won’t be able to buy it. She might even get fined or arrested for it if she still has it.’” Alicia said, “We’re trying to wake Wyoming up in a short amount of time. It’s not fair to the residents of Wyoming at all.
 
“This is a punch in the gut.” Sweetwater County resident Randall Tryzbiak owns Randall’s Holistics, located at 2712 Commercial Way in Rock Springs. He expressed his frustration with the Wyoming Legislature.
 
“The state is going to get sued just like every other state they tried to ban,” said Tryzbiak. “By passing this, they’re creating a black market; they’re encouraging Wyoming citizens to break the law.
 
“This is medicine and people aren’t going to stop taking it.”
 
He pointed out that from Washington D.C. to Wyoming, politicians are not informed about what hemp products can do.
 
“They’re making decisions about my health without knowing anything about it?” he asked. “That’s wrong. There are lobbyists in the alcohol industry and in pharmaceuticals who are trying to push these bills through.”
 
Tryzbiak noted that people who use cannabis products drink less alcohol.
 
“I’ve seen it myself. Cannabis doesn’t kill anyone, but if you drink a fifth of Jack Daniels, you might not wake up the next day,” he said.
 
Tryzbiak  added, “The people in Wyoming already have spoken. There were many, many signatures on the petition to approve marijuana. I don’t care if we have marijuana here or not. With the way the laws are written now, we have everything we need to take care of people.”
 
This story was published on February 28, 2024. 

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