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Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Hoosiers debate the future of marijuana

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Currently, medical marijuana is legal in 33 states, and Indiana’s neighbors seem to be adopting looser attitudes about marijuana. Kentucky is considering legalizing medical marijuana, Ohio allows medical use, Illinois will likely adopt recreational use and Michigan already has. With so many other states legalizing cannabis, Hoosiers are fiercely debating the drug’s future in Indiana. 

However, the debate does not resemble a Republican versus Democrat squabble. State Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican supporting marijuana reform, said over 50 percent of Republicans now support legalization along with over 80 percent of Democrats. State senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle have proposed bills this session loosening marijuana laws.  

Lucas is unsure of the bills’ future because many Hoosier leaders doubt legalization will help the state. Gov. Eric Holcomb, Attorney General Curtis Hill, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council and the Indy Chamber of Commerce have all come out against legalization. Kevin Brinegar, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, doubts legalization is in Indiana’s immediate future because of both conversations with legislators and a lack of movement behind current pro-marijuana bills.

“This is an issue that’s not going away,” Lucas said. “And we’re going to be forced to deal with it sooner or later, and I would much rather deal with it sooner.”

 

In favor of legalizing 

Marijuana advocates argue legalization will curve excessive punishments for drug crimes. According to David Phipps, communications director for the nonprofit cannabis advocacy group Indiana NORML, Indiana punishes cannabis users harshly. A first-time offender can receive a year and a half in prison and be fined up to $3,000. The jail time can be particularly harmful for families as offending youth miss school and may now have a record for the rest of their lives, and parents who serve jail time cannot provide for their children. 

“When we’re separating children from their parents, think what that would do to that child,” Phipps said. “We’re traumatizing children every day because a few lawmakers disagree with cannabis use. This is just as absurd as if we to separate families over a father or mother drinking a beer.”

Legalization of marijuana could benefit many people including the elderly and those suffering from chronic pain, Phipps said. Jeff Staker, founder of Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis, noted marijuana use helps veterans suffering from chronic pain or PTSD. In addition, using marijuana instead of opioids could eliminate a reliance on opioids, he added.

According to Lucas, states that legalize marijuana see a 25 percent reduction in opioid-related deaths, making marijuana a potentially helpful tool to combat the opioids crisis. 

“Unlike many prescription medications, you cannot die from an overdose on cannabis,” Lucas said. “That makes it very safe, and dosages are very easy to figure out.”

 

Against legalizing

Many critics of marijuana doubt its medical benefit because the FDA has not approved it. Randy Miller, executive director of Drug Free Marion County, concedes that cannabidiol (CBD) oil, a marijuana extract, is legal in Indiana while not approved by the FDA, but he also adds that CBD oil contains less tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than other forms of marijuana and is therefore safer. 

Miller also worries that either medical or recreational legalization could lead to more children using marijuana, especially because the perception of marijuana among youth is troubling. Around 20 percent of fifth graders in Marion County use marijuana regularly, according to Miller. 

“We’ve seen reports indicating that youth, because they hear marijuana is not only not dangerous but a medicine, report driving or riding under the influence of marijuana, and they don’t understand that’s dangerous,” Miller said. 

Critics also are not convinced marijuana helps adults. Brinegar noted a study that points to higher rates of mental illness and violent behavior among those who use marijuana 300 or more times a year. Miller also noted anecdotal evidence suggests marijuana negatively impacts motivation and motor skills. 

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce worries what those effects will mean for business. Medical marijuana usage can become recreational marijuana use, and that might lead to a less efficient workforce, Brinegar noted.  

“We’ve seen data from states such as Colorado that have recreational marijuana that have seen considerable increases in workplace injuries, absenteeism, traffic accidents [and] failed drug tests because even though it’s legal at the state level, it’s sill illegal at the federal level,” Brinegar said.

 

Contact staff writer Ben Lashar at 317-762-7848. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminLashar.

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