The Indiana Democratic Party is mounting a push for marijuana legalization and calling on state lawmakers to enact the reform. If the GOP-controlled legislature fails to pass a legalization bill during the 2022 session, the party organization said Democrats are prepared to campaign on the issue, leveraging the popularity of ending prohibition among Indiana voters. “Legalizing marijuana is a win-win for Indiana, and it should get done this legislative session,” the party said on Monday. “If the Republicans fail to join Democrats in this effort, it will become a hallmark issue for the 2022 state and midterm elections.” The Democratic organization pointed to a 2018 poll that showed about 80 percent of Indianan favor legalizing cannabis for either medical or recreational purposes, and 78 percent agreed that simple possession should be decriminalized. Legalization “would provide the opportunity to create an additional revenue stream for the state, create good-paying jobs, develop a long-term cash crop for Indiana’s ag and business communities, provide medicinal opportunities for people like the state’s veterans and seniors, and could start the process of expunging records for simple possession across the state,” the party said. The organization is also calling on Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) to “rescind his opposition to marijuana.” The governor said in 2019 that he would not support legalization until the federal government ended prohibition, and even then he said the state would need to closely review the issue before enacting a policy change.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/16/2021 08:52:00