Now that Indiana is surrounded by states with legal marijuana, a Michiana lawmaker plans to introduce a bill next year legalizing it for medical use.
State Sen. Mike Bohacek, a Republican from Michiana Shores, on Monday announced he’s begun work on a bill for the 2027 General Assembly.
Bohacek sees his constituents crossing the border to shop for weed, and leave their tax dollars, in Michigan and Illinois. Those states and Ohio allow recreational use, while Kentucky has authorized medicinal.
That’s typically a precursor for legalization of recreational sales, as happened in Michigan. But Bohacek says he doesn’t see Indiana going full recreational until the federal government also reschedules marijuana for recreational use.
”It is a drug and one more intoxicant is probably something we don’t need but to treat it like medicine, and it’s a natural product, and if it can have properties that can help some folks, then it’s certainly worth doing it," Bohacek says. "But I don’t think the state of Indiana, at least I don’t think the legislature, is ready to open it up for recreational purposes.”
Bohacek’s legislation would also update the state impairment laws, establishing a blood concentration that would define impairment and creating trainings needed for law enforcement to identify impairment.
