State lawmakers representing parts of Bartholomew County are divided on a Republican-backed effort seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in Indiana.
The effort, led by an organization called Safe and Regulated Indiana, seeks to “tax and regulate marijuana for adults ages 21 and up, just like alcohol.” The organization is backed by former Indiana Republican Party Executive Director and current Marion County GOP Chair Joe Elsener.
“Legalizing adult use marijuana in Indiana means safer communities, increased tax revenue and job creation,” the organization said last week in a Facebook post. “It’s time to regulate marijuana, ensuring quality and safety for consumers.”
Currently, recreational use of marijuana is legal in 24 states — including neighboring Illinois, Michigan and Ohio — and the District of Columbia, even though it remains illegal under federal law, according to The Associated Press. Medical use of marijuana will become legal in Kentucky starting Jan. 1.
Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, who represents a portion of Bartholomew County, has long been an vocal supporter of legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. He said he supports the organization’s efforts, telling The Republic that “there are way more positives than there are negatives” to legalization and that “there is absolutely no rational argument left” for not doing it.
“I’m very supportive of their efforts,” Lucas said. “As far as the chance of it becoming a reality (in Indiana), who knows, because we’ve gone so far past common sense on this issue that it’s as laughable, as it is sad, as it is criminal. …Any Hoosier — and we know it’s happening — can go across state lines, buy something that is legal in that state and then come back to our own state, and now we make them a criminal.”
“It’s embarrassing that Indiana is so far behind on this one issue,” Lucas said.
Lucas, who plans to introduce legislation this session seeking to legalize marijuana for medical use, said he believes much of the opposition to legalizing marijuana is rooted in stigma, adding that research is “discovering more and more (medical) benefits” of the drug and that legalization could remove the drug from an illegal market often run by drug trafficking organizations.
“We’re not controlling (marijuana) now because you can get it in almost any middle school,” Lucas said. “…We want to do everything we can to keep it out of the hands of kids, just like alcohol, but we’re being intellectually dishonest and fooling ourselves if we think kids aren’t getting it now. But sadly, we don’t know what kids are getting. They’re buying a joint from their friend. What’s in that joint? …Compared to alcohol, we don’t see people dying from homemade bathtub gin. They’re getting a regulated product. I want to make it crystal clear, I’m not advocating that we make this available to youth, unless it’s medically prescribed.”
Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, has different views on marijuana, telling The Republic he opposes the legalization of marijuana for recreational or medical use, citing research and “brain chemistry concerns.”
“I think my opposition stands,” Walker said. “…No, I don’t believe that’s a good direction to go.”
Walker cited what he described as a “growing body of research” that suggests marijuana use “can have a real adverse effect on those who already have a predisposition for certain mental health conditions.”
“There would be no medical oversight, of course, to that (if recreational marijuana were legal),” Walker said. “There would be no dosage regulation or anything of that regard. I can’t today in good conscience say I feel like marijuana is more safe than alcohol. …I think there are still too many unanswered, for me, brain chemistry concerns as a result of recreational marijuana.”
“We are seeing nationally an increase in certain mental wellness concerns,” Walker said. “There is, again, statistically a growing indication that something is impacting mental wellness in our country, and I’m waiting to hear when the statisticians conclude that recreational marijuana use is a contributing factor. I’m beginning to suspect that it’s one of (them).”
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, also said he opposes legalizing recreational and medical marijuana, telling The Republic that “I don’t find a strong enough argument to go that route” but would “keep an open mind” if legislation is introduced and debated.
“You have to be careful with the social and societal ills that come along with that,” Lauer said. “For example, I was in Denver, Colorado, last summer. Even though (marijuana) is supposed to be illegal in restaurants and stuff like that, it was everywhere. You could smell it everywhere, at restaurants, at clothing stores, retail.”
Lauer also characterized efforts aimed to legalize marijuana for medical use as “dubious” and an “end-route to achieve the same result (as legalized recreational use).”
“Where so-called medical marijuana has come in, all of a sudden there are a lot of new sick people,” Lauer said. “It is really an end-route toward legalization. …I think going that route would be ill-advised. I don’t believe that’s a legitimate route.”
Currently, it is unclear if the Indiana General Assembly will take up the issue in the upcoming legislative session. Lauer said he does not believe that marijuana legalization will be a “high priority” when the Legislature convenes early next year.
Indiana lawmakers have long resisted the idea of legalizing marijuana use statewide, even with a growing bipartisan push to reconsider the drug and as three of Indiana’s four neighbors have made recreational use legal in recent years, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
At the same time, a recent survey by Safe and Regulated Indiana suggests that registered voters in the state support legalizing recreational use of marijuana. The survey, released last week, found 70% of the 1,252 registered voters surveyed strongly or somewhat support legalizing recreational for Hoosiers over the age of 21.
It is also unclear if the prospect of generating tax revenue from marijuana sales might sway lawmakers.
In 2023, sales taxes collected at marijuana dispensaries in Illinois totaled $417.6 million, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue. Michigan saw more than $270 million in marijuana tax revenue last year, according ABC affiliate WPBN.
In Missouri, recreational marijuana sales generated $241 million in tax revenue over the past year, more than triple the state’s estimates of $79 million, according to the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.
While 0utgoing Gov. Eric Holcomb has pointed to the need for reform at the federal level, Gov.-elect Mike Braun said he was open to legalizing the drug for medical purposes in an October debate, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. He cautioned, though, that he would weigh law enforcement concerns heavily.
Locally, Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane raised some concerns about whether legalizing recreational use of marijuana could lead to more people driving while intoxicated and how legalizing the drug would impact youth.
“I would hope that our state legislators do their due diligence, and I’m sure they’ll do their research on the states that have gone down this paths of legalizing marijuana … and look at everything,” Lane said. “…If you legalize another intoxicant, my concern would be that creates some more hazards out on the roadway and people driving under the influence. I know there would be an age requirement, 21 like with alcohol, but does it put us in a situation (where) it’s more readily available and easy to get because it would be legal, and how does that affect our youth?”
State lawmakers representing parts of Bartholomew County are divided on a Republican-backed effort seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in Indiana. Read More
