{"id":51552,"date":"2021-12-06T09:02:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T17:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/12\/06\/indiana-gop-lawmaker-plans-medical-marijuana-bill-as-democrats-push-full-recreational-legalization\/"},"modified":"2021-12-06T13:45:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T21:45:30","slug":"indiana-gop-lawmaker-plans-medical-marijuana-bill-as-democrats-push-full-recreational-legalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/12\/06\/indiana-gop-lawmaker-plans-medical-marijuana-bill-as-democrats-push-full-recreational-legalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana GOP Lawmaker Plans Medical Marijuana Bill As Democrats Push Full Recreational Legalization"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt polls higher than any other issue. We\u2019ve seen 38 other states step up and do the right thing for their citizens. We know it saves lives. We know it offers a better quality of life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Margaret Menge, The Center Square<\/strong><\/p>\n

Democrats in Indiana have launched a campaign to legalize marijuana<\/a> in the state and appealed to business-friendly Republicans to join to help the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

There is some support from Republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a medical cannabis bill ready to go,\u201d Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, said.<\/p>\n

He said the bill will be similar to the one he introduced<\/a> in the last session of the Indiana General Assembly, which would permit the use of medical marijuana by people with \u201cserious medical conditions\u201d as determined by a doctor, and would permit the \u201ccultivation, testing, processing, transportation and dispensing\u201d of medical marijuana by people who hold a valid permit issued by the state.<\/p>\n

It also would put the Indiana Department of Health in charge of implementing and enforcing the medical marijuana program.<\/p>\n

Indiana is one of just a handful of states that has not legalized medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt polls higher than any other issue,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen 38 other states step up and do the right thing for their citizens. We know it saves lives. We know it offers a better quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, the national American Legion, which is based in Indianapolis, called on Congress to remove marijuana from Schedule I<\/a> of the federal Controlled Substances Act and reclassify it to \u201crecognize cannabis as a drug with potential medical value.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Legion has also pushed for more research to be done on marijuana related to its potential in treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular.<\/p>\n

The Indiana American Legion, however, has not taken a position on the issue, and did not discuss the bill Lucas introduced in the last session, spokesperson Josh Marshall said.<\/p>\n

He said the issue would have to be reviewed by the organization\u2019s executive committee before any action were taken on the issue in the upcoming session of the legislature, which begins January 3.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Indiana Democrats are pushing to get the issue on the table.<\/p>\n

Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, is set to lead a \u201ccommunity talking circle\u201d at a pizza place in Muncie today to hear from the public about legalizing medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is that medical cannabis is becoming an accepted and preferred method of treatment throughout the country,\u201d Errington said in a statement<\/a> from the Indiana House Democratic Caucus on November 29. \u201cMedical cannabis is a safe, non-addictive alternative to opioids that could benefit Hoosiers who live with chronic pain and anxiety disorders, including our brave veterans who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Those who have sacrificed so much for our state deserve an effective treatment for their pain, rather than a potential criminal record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans hold a supermajority in both houses of the legislature and hold every statewide office. But legislative leaders\u2014some of them\u2014have appeared more open on the issue in recent years.<\/p>\n

In 2018, the Republican floor leader in the Indiana House of Representatives, Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, authored a resolution calling for an interim study committee to research medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoosiers rightfully want to know what direction Indiana will take,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cI believe it is wise of policymakers to carefully gather public and professional input.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lehman told<\/a> Fox59 last month that he thinks there\u2019s \u201calways room for discussion\u201d about medical marijuana, but that he thought the federal government would have to act first, before Indiana takes action.<\/p>\n

This story was first published by The Center Square.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Ohio GOP Lawmakers File New Marijuana Legalization Bill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Indiana GOP Lawmaker Plans Medical Marijuana Bill As Democrats Push Full Recreational Legalization<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\u201cIt polls higher than any other issue. We\u2019ve seen 38 other states step up and do the right thing for their citizens. We know it saves lives. We know it offers a better quality of life.\u201d By Margaret Menge, The Center Square Democrats in Indiana have launched a campaign toContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51553,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51552\/revisions\/51553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}