Wyoming will continue treating marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance under state law. State officials are refusing to follow a federal decision that reclassified certain cannabis products earlier this year. This outcome settles, for now, the Wyoming marijuana rescheduling debate in favour of the status quo.

Officials at the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office confirmed the ruling this week. According to the announcement, the state’s Commissioner of Drugs and Substances Control issued a final decision rejecting the federal change. For residents, the result is simple. Marijuana stays exactly where it has always sat under Wyoming law.

Federal Rule Sparked the Dispute

The disagreement traces back to an April 28 rule from the US Department of Justice. That rule moved marijuana contained in Food and Drug Administration approved products into Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act. It also covered marijuana under state medical marijuana licensing programmes, plus certain extracts and naturally derived delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinols.

Wyoming law generally mirrors federal classifications automatically, unless the commissioner formally objects. That is precisely what happened here. On May 28, the commissioner filed a formal objection. A review process followed, and it has now concluded with marijuana firmly staying in the state’s strictest category. In other words, the Wyoming cannabis classification was never going to follow Washington’s lead automatically.

Existing Medications Stay As They Are

The Wyoming marijuana rescheduling review also looked closely at medications already on the books. According to the ruling, FDA approved marijuana related medications already sit appropriately within Wyoming’s existing framework. Officials therefore found no need for further action on that front. Dronabinol remains classified as Schedule III. Cesamet continues to hold Schedule II status. Epidiolex has carried no controlled substance classification in Wyoming since 2020.

The commissioner found that adopting the federal rescheduling would directly conflict with state law. Wyoming’s Legislature has not legalised medical marijuana. Lawmakers have not established a state run medical marijuana programme either. Nor have they agreed to recognise medical marijuana licences issued by other states. Bringing state law into line with the federal shift would therefore have created legal contradictions rather than resolved them.

Public Feedback Split Down the Middle

A public hearing on the proposed objection took place on June 18. Officials received eight written comments ahead of the ruling. The split was as even as it gets, with four in favour of keeping marijuana at Schedule I and four opposed. One person spoke in favour of maintaining the existing classification during the hearing itself.

The commissioner then reviewed the testimony and written submissions. All marijuana products will remain Schedule I under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act, including marijuana that would otherwise qualify under another state’s medical marijuana programme. FDA approved medications will continue to be classified individually, exactly as they already are.

Wyoming Cannabis Classification Rests With the Legislature

The commissioner concluded that any wider change to marijuana policy should come through the Legislature rather than administrative rulemaking. That distinction matters. Elected lawmakers, not a single administrative ruling, will decide whether Wyoming’s approach ever shifts.

For now, the decision remains in effect unless changed by state law. The Wyoming marijuana rescheduling question may resurface in future legislative sessions. Until then, the state’s cautious stance on cannabis holds firm even as federal policy moves in a different direction.

Source: kotatv