Indiana Cannabis Legalization Bill Fails to Advance

An Indiana bill to bring cannabis legalization to the state has failed to pass.

Per Fox59

Despite a record amount of marijuana bills filed by both Indiana Republicans and Democrats this legislative session, all efforts to legalize and decriminalize weed failed.

”This is really just not a priority for people; it’s also not a priority for the leaders of Indiana,” said Jaime Zerbe with Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). SAM has pushed for marijuana decriminalization efforts but strictly opposes legalization efforts.

Weeks after the Republican-led coalition Safe and Regulated Indiana pushed for meaningful marijuana reform, the main bill they pushed for died. According to an LSA fiscal analysis, that bill could have brought up to $200 million in new revenue to Indiana in 2026.

Heading into this session, Republican Leadership warned they’d seen no compelling cases for legalizing marijuana.

“There’s always the next year,” Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said. ”I don’t believe in doing…policy based upon revenue. I think you do good public policy and you deal with the revenue, and that’s the way I feel about the marijuana issue.