Indiana Senator Proposes Marijuana Legalization Bill

Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 1:34 PM

Senate BIll 223 would decriminalize marijuana possession up to two ounces.

Shutterstock photo.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – An Indiana lawmaker has proposed a bill that would legalize marijuana.

State Senator Karen Tallian (D-District 4) has authored Senate Bill 223, which would legalize marijuana possession up to two ounces – repealing the offense as a Level 6 felony.

Tallian has also authored Senate Bill 87, which establishes the cannabis compliance commission to regulate all forms of legal cannabis in Indiana, including industrial hemp and low THC hemp extract.

In a Facebook post Monday, Tallian made the following statement:

“Arrests for marijuana possession made up 45 percent of all drug arrests from 2010-2018 in Indiana. Contextually, Black Hoosiers are 3.5x more likely to be arrested for the possession of marijuana. Our neighboring states have made efforts to address unjust marijuana laws, and it’s time for us to do the same. That’s why I authored SB 87 and 223 this session, to allow for the regulation and legalizations of marijuana in our state. I will be fighting for these bills because legalizing marijuana is the right thing to do. It’s time to move our state forward.”