INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The push to legalize medical marijuana in Indiana appears to be gaining a certain strength.
Numerous veterans organizations, for example, have publicly pleaded with lawmakers to help treat veterans with issues like PTSD, chronic pain and traumatic brain injuries.
“We’re not talking about letting veterans smoke pot,” a representative said at a recent event.
But just as strong is the opposition and leery attitude among Republican leaders to move in that direction.
“I don’t think it has a lot of support,” House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) said in an interview Tuesday.
After Attorney General Curtis Hill wrote in a much-anticipated opinion that CBD oil is illegal in Indiana, new questions have arisen about whether a push to legalize medical marijuana is too much too fast?
“Let’s quit trying to fine-tune everything so much that we get ourselves in these messes all the time,” State Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) said.
Lucas is writing legislation that would not only legalize medical marijuana but CBD oil as well.
“Let’s just rip the band-aid off and start fresh,” he said. “We’ve got 28 states that I’ve been able to pull best practices from and put together a bill that is really right for Hoosiers.”
Firm skeptics include influential players like Hill.
“If those products get FDA approval, I think that provides the legislature far firmer ground than substituting the FDA approval process with a legislative process based on emotion,” he said.
Gov. Eric Holcomb has also recently strongly weighed in.
“We’re not there in this state,” he said earlier this month. “And at this time right now I’m trying to get drugs off the street, not add more into the mix, and so I’m just not supportive of that.”
And in an interview Tuesday, Bosma left few questions as to where he stands.
“It needs to be a thoughtful approach,” he said. “It’s a short session. We’re not going to take on successfully – I believe – such a controversial issue. And it needs to be explored very carefully before a decision is made.”
credit:fox59.com
