Indiana trails neighboring states in move to legalize marijuana

With Illinois and Michigan legalizing marijuana for recreational use in 2020, Ohio passing some medical marijuana measures, and Kentucky’s governor saying he’s open to medical marijuana legalization, Indiana may soon find itself alone if marijuana initiatives being pushed through the Statehouse by Democrats during the next legislative session don’t pan out.

Where our neighboring states are signing off on marijuana legalization in some capacity, legalizing weed for certain medical use or making recreational weed legal for adults, that’s not the case in Indiana yet.

A 2016 poll conducted by WTHR and Howey Politics Indiana showed 73 percent of Hoosiers supported legalizing medical marijuana. That support cut across party lines, with about 60 percent of Republican respondents and more than 80 percent of Democrats voicing approval for medical cannabis.

Two years later, that number jumped to 81 percent, according to a statewide poll by Ball State University. Forty-two percent of Hoosiers polled said marijuana should be legal for medical use only and an additional 39 percent said it should be legal for all personal use, including medical.

In that same 2018 poll, a vast majority of Hoosiers – 78 percent – said there should be no jail time for individuals who possess small amounts of marijuana. Only 16 percent of Hoosiers thought marijuana use should remain illegal. [Read more at WTHR]