By Cate Charron
Indiana Business Journal
Jennifer McCormick, the Democratic candidate for governor, said Monday morning that she would attempt to legalize marijuana in Indiana through a stepping-stone plan guided by a regulatory body and lessons from the state’s Midwest neighbors.
Regulated medical marijuana would be made available initially under McCormick’s plan and, eventually, recreational adult use would be legalized. The speed of full legalization would be up to a newly-created commission, she said.
Under her roadmap, a body called the Indiana Cannabis Commission would be created to police and oversee the industry. McCormick said this body would guide decision-making related to permits and other regulations as well as guide the rollout.
Specifics on who would be on the commission were not provided, but McCormick said those details would worked out as part of an information-gathering process with nearby states. Nearly every state in the Midwest has legalized marijuana at least medicinally.
Legalizing marijuana would generate state revenue from taxes, bringing in an estimated $172 million annually, McCormick estimated.
Last year, Illinois reported cannabis dispensaries brought in $417.6 million in sales taxes. Ohio reported $54.6 million in recreational product sales, which includes a 10% excise tax, after the state’s first month of legalization.
Instead of money being directed to the state’s general fund, McCormick said she would try to channel cannabis revenue to support schools, police departments and other services. She also supported putting aside part of the sum for mental health and substance abuse programming.
The state is ready to take this step, she said, and it’s something Hoosiers have been asking for. A 2023 Ball State University study reports that 86.4% of Hoosiers polled said they supported some form of marijuana legalization with the majority pulling for recreational use.
Marijuana legalization has not gained traction in the Statehouse over the past several years, with a flurry of bills fizzling out each session. McCormick’s plan would need lawmaker sign-on, including a sizable portion of the Republican supermajority, but she said she would craft seek a bipartisan push similar to other red states.
“It will be critical in making sure that the plan is in such a format and is really scrutinized and detailed enough that the General Assembly feels comfortable going forward,” she said of past wariness about public health consequences and potential youth misuse.
Republican challenger Sen. Mike Braun hasn’t expressed a solid stance for or against marijuana legalization. In a March primary debate, he said he would leave that decision up to law enforcement, and said the issue was complicated by fentanyl lacing. He did leave the door open for medical marijuana.
“I hear a lot of input where that’s helpful,” he said during the debate. “I think that you need to listen and see what makes sense.”
McCormick’s plan also calls for better regulating hemp-derived THC products, which are frequently sold at Indiana’s gas stations and smoke shops.
