{"id":57182,"date":"2022-09-21T10:09:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T18:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/indiana-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-marijuana-legalization-and-delta-8-thc-products\/"},"modified":"2022-09-21T19:46:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T03:46:39","slug":"indiana-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-marijuana-legalization-and-delta-8-thc-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/indiana-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-marijuana-legalization-and-delta-8-thc-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Marijuana Legalization And Delta-8 THC Products"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know there are so many positives for cannabis. Shame on us for criminalizing responsible Hoosiers that simply want a better quality of life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawmakers considered the advantages and shortcomings of legalizing certain cannabinoids Tuesday, potentially as a precursor to legalizing the plant itself for recreational use. But the research offered frequently conflicted and the committee abruptly ended, with discussion expected to continue next month.<\/p>\n

Over the course of four hours, committee members from the\u00a0interim health committee<\/a>\u00a0heard testimony for and against legalization, from veterans using it to treat chronic pain to prosecutors worried about unintended consequences. Though called to study the legalization of Delta-8, a cannabinoid, committee testimony largely centered on legalization of marijuana medicinally or for recreational use, which three of Indiana\u2019s neighboring states allow.<\/p>\n

In the day\u2019s final testimony to the committee, Seymour Rep. Jim Lucas said he needed \u201ca gummy\u201d himself after listening to four hours of discussion.<\/p>\n

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Lucas, a Republican, noted that 24 veterans commit suicide every day and that veterans had previously testified about the effectiveness of cannabis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know there are so many positives for cannabis. Shame on us for criminalizing responsible Hoosiers that simply want a better quality of life\u2014they don\u2019t want to be put towards that place where they\u2019re [suicidal]\u2026because they can\u2019t take it anymore,\u201d Lucas said, \u201cbegging\u201d legislators to act. \u201cIt rests on you to make the decisions whether we move forward with a responsible cannabis program or we continue to stay in the dark ages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing a line between hemp and marijuana<\/h4>\n

Several representatives from the hemp industry and cannabis industry urged<\/a> lawmakers to consider legalizing the substance, which Republicans have largely resisted for years by saying they want to wait for federal approval.<\/p>\n

Hemp and marijuana differ, largely based on the levels of chemical cannabinoids. Hemp is currently legal to produce with restrictions in Indiana but difficult to regulate because the plants for both substances look and smell similar and can only be distinguished in a laboratory, according to testimony.<\/p>\n

Though Stash Ventures was founded in Marion and even headquartered in Fishers at one time, the company moved to Michigan when it seemed that Indiana was unlikely to legalize cannabis in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Indiana had been available when we started in the state of Michigan, we would have started here with our investment,\u201d said Katie Wiley, the company\u2019s chief legal officer and chief strategy officer.<\/p>\n

Wiley, a Hoosier attorney for more than 20 years, said Stash Ventures was a vertically integrated cannabis company, meaning it held growing, processing and retail sale licenses.<\/p>\n

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Today, our public health interim committee heard from a variety of Hoosiers and stakeholders about medical cannabis and versions of decriminalization of cannabis. It’s well past time that Indiana joins the 37 other states with some form of legal cannabis. pic.twitter.com\/uZFccZnvVW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator Jean D. Breaux (@SenJeanBreaux) September 20, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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She pushed lawmakers toward legalization, saying that as a parent, she didn\u2019t want her children potentially encountering unsafe products in an illicit market. Some lawmakers said they\u2019d encountered reports of marijuana laced with fentanyl, a highly addictive and dangerous substance largely responsible for the recent rise in overdose deaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a retailer in Michigan, we can tell you that we have Indiana residents buying from us in the state of Michigan,\u201d Wiley said. \u201cI want a regulated market (here)\u2026 (If) my child got on something, I would want to know what was in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The longer Indiana delayed, waiting for the \u201cinevitable\u201d legalization on the federal level, Wiley said, the more businesses would choose to invest elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Conflicted research on proposed legalization<\/h4>\n

Business representatives with the Chamber of Commerce urged a delay, saying that Indiana\u2019s testing capacity isn\u2019t prepared to reliably screen for impairment.<\/p>\n

Mike Ripley, a vice president with the organization, said employers struggle to test for drug use when marijuana can appear on tests days after consumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose kinds of things we don\u2019t know (how to do) yet and that\u2019s why we think that\u2014the longer we wait to implement things\u2014the more data comes out,\u201d Ripley said. \u201cWe think time is on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As a member of the Interim Committee on Public Health, we heard testimony from Hoosiers, business leaders, experts from states with legal cannabis and others made it crystal clear, it\u2019s time for Indiana to legalize cannabis.
My full statement: https:\/\/t.co\/OfsPQakCpW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sFOHWo7IjL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 State Senator Rodney Pol Jr (@SenRodneyPol) September 20, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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But public defenders observed that testing deficiencies already complicate prosecutions, noting that Marion County\u00a0recently suspended\u00a0marijuana arrests after a lawsuit saying that their systems couldn\u2019t reliably determine the potency of cannabis.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though [cases] are impossible to prove, they definitely affect our client\u2019s lives,\u201d Monroe County Public Defender Noah Williams said. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to charge someone with this offense, you need to be able to prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One cited study from a religious school concluded that Coloradans spend $4.57 to mitigate marijuana\u2019s effects for every tax dollar it collects from the legalized substance\u2014a statistic Sen. Ed Charbonneau found concerning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find it ironic that there\u2019s a ton of money out there to be made by individuals but also by the state of Indiana and I want to make sure that we don\u2019t get hooked on the money,\u201d Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, said. \u201cWe\u2019ve found a way, maybe, to spend some of that great amount of money\u2026on the problems that we create.\u201d<\/p>\n

But\u00a0other presentations<\/a>\u00a0provided conflicting information, reporting lower healthcare costs, lower opioid overdose deaths and more efficient law enforcement agencies. Yet\u00a0another set of studies\u00a0determined cannabis use reduced prescription drug reliance for chronic pain and had fewer side effects.<\/p>\n

Committee Chair Rep. Brad Barrett, R-Richmond, abruptly ended the meeting<\/a>, saying he and others would stay to hear additional testimony privately but ended the official livestream after four hours of testimony. The committee is scheduled to meet again on October 4 at 12 PM.<\/p>\n

This story was first published by Indiana Capital Chronicle.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Two Out Of Three Missouri Voters \u2018Certain To Vote Yes\u2019 On Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, Poll Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Indiana Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Marijuana Legalization And Delta-8 THC Products<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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