The discussion into legalizing marijuana in Indiana continues, but it may be taking a massive step forward.
The Democratic nominee for governor, Jennifer McCormick, officially announced plans on Thursday on “Common Sense Cannabis plan” as a part of her campaign.
McCormick’s plan would include creating the “Indiana Cannabis Commission” to regulate this industry.
Current plans are focused on the medical marijuana first, and she is not the only gubernatorial candidate in the conversation.
Indiana is 1 of 12 states with no medical cannabis law, and 1 of 19 states that still impose jail time for possession of marijuana.
In Michigan, the economic impact of medical marijuana has been seen at a high level in the few years it has been legalized.
McCormick outlined plans earlier Thursday in the hopes to change that.
“I’ve had a lot of people say, ‘well what’s that time frame look like?’ You know, how quickly could you go from medical to adult use? And that answer is up to the commission, it is really dependent upon how this rolls out, and what successes we see and what barriers we come across, because we know there will be both,” said McCormick.
McCormick is not the only one who has discussed this topic.
In May, WSBT 22 had an exclusive interview with Senator Mike Braun who said he is also open to discussions on this topic moving forward, but not until the due diligence is complete.
“Now that you can get medical marijuana, I think in any state surrounding us and recreational in Michigan and in Illinois I am going to listen to law-enforcement number one to see what would be their big issues because they will have to contend with whatever might need to be done on enforcing the law,” said Sen. Mike Braun, (R) Indiana Gubernatorial Candidate.
As medical marijuana is the intended first step in the road to legalizing marijuana, WSBT 22 asked experts to weigh on what medical marijuana specifically could bring to the state.
“Some potential uses, because there’s, you know, central actions on mode regulatory pathways. They could be useful, perhaps in developing drugs for use in dyskinesias like Huntington’s disease or Parkinson’s disease,” said Lynn Roy, Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
WSBT 22 reached out to Donald Rainwater’s campaign, the Libertarian nominee for governor, and is waiting to hear back.
With the election less than 2 months away, it’s evident this topic is top of mind for many voters.
The discussion into legalizing marijuana in Indiana continues, but it may be taking a massive step forward.The Democratic nominee for governor, Jennifer McCormi Read More