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Republicans in the Indiana Senate this week rejected a move by a Democratic colleague to legalize cannabis in the Hoosier State.
On Monday, the GOP-led Senate considered several amendments to a two-year budget bill. One of the amendments, from Democratic Sen. Rodney Pol, would have legalized cannabis for recreational and medical use.
During deliberations on the proposal, Pol said that he finds it “frustrating” to see Indiana “lose on an opportunity to keep our dollars in our state and provide relief to those individuals that are dealing with cancer, PTSD, chronic pain and other ailments that prefer cannabis for needed relief, as opposed to pharmaceuticals.”
“We have hundreds of people in the hallway that are concerned about money that we are spending,” he said. “And this is an easy way to turn what is in an illicit market that is funding more crime right now into a regulated and safe taxed market that we reap the benefits of.”
Pol’s amendment was similar to a stand-alone cannabis legalization bill he filed in January, online news source Marijuana Moment reported on Tuesday. Had it succeeded, the legislation (Senate Bill 113) would have created a regulatory and taxation framework for marijuana. The bill also would have established the Indiana Cannabis Commission (ICC) and Advisory Committee to oversee the program.
The bill also contains provisions to expunge past convictions for offenses legalized by the measure. The legislation would also provide for research into cannabis.
The legalization of cannabis under Senate Bill 113 would generate “between $46.6 million and $92.6 million in FY 2026 and $50.8 million and $101.7 million in FY 2027 from Sales and Excise Taxes and permit fees,” according to a fiscal note from the state’s Legislative Services Agency (LSA).
Pol’s amendment was rejected by the Republican Senate majority in a voice vote, continuing Indiana’s prohibition of cannabis.
No Legal Marijuana In Indiana
Indiana is one of a handful of states that have yet to legalize marijuana for medical purposes or for recreational use by adults. But some signs point to potential change in 2025.
In January, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun, who took office this year, said it is “probably time” to legalize medical cannabis, Marijuana Moment reported at the time. While speaking on television news about his “freedom and opportunity agenda,” Braun said that Indiana should consider cannabis policy reform.
“It’s probably time for it to have found its way to Indiana—on the medical side,” he said.
Republican legislators have also indicated some support for cannabis policy reform. Earlier this month, Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, who has opposed legalizing both medical and recreational cannabis in the past, said he is aware that marijuana legalization is “becoming more and more popular, of course, across the state of Indiana, and also in this building.”
“We can’t exist in a vacuum,” Bray added. “More than 30 states have legalized marijuana in some capacity, including those states around us.”
While noting he was speaking for himself and not the Republican Party, Bray said marijuana decriminalization may be a better option than more comprehensive cannabis policy reform.
“I think that it would be a smart move, based on where we are in that space right now, that we decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. I don’t think that needs to be criminal at this point,” he said. “Maybe it’s an infraction or something like that, because people are obviously buying it legally in other parts of the country [and] can’t possess it when you come back here. But should that be a jailable offense at this point? Maybe not.”
“}]] Republicans in the Indiana Senate this week rejected a move by a Democratic colleague to legalize cannabis in the Hoosier State. Read More
