Cannabis measures make headway in Indiana Legislature
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Bills dealing with cannabis are making headway in the Statehouse.
In fact, Thursday morning, state lawmakers voted 94-0 to pass a resolution calling for an interim study of medical marijuana.
There’s traction, too, with a bunch of cannabidiol (CBD) oil bills budding in the Statehouse.
Also on Thursday morning, a House committee passed a bill legalizing the sale and possession of hemp by a vote of 12-0. State Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, said his House Bill 1137 includes CBD oil.
Lucas said, “Absolutely. Hemp oil, which people know as CBD oil. Again, this removes the cloud of confusion Indiana’s been struggling with for the past several months.”
In November, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said CBD oil is illegal except for patients of treatment-resistant epilepsy. But, contradicting that, in December, Gov. Eric Holcomb said CBD oil with no THC is legal in our state.
State Rep. William C. Friend, a Republican from Macy, said his CBD oil, House Bill 1214 passed committee unanimously Wednesday. He also said his bill cuts the confusion.
Friend said that the bill clarifies state law “by saying that it is a legal substance and should be treated as an herbal supplement. The THC is less than three-tenths of a percent. There is no opportunity for a high.”
The Legislative Services Agency said at least 10 bills are floating around that focus on CBD oil. At least 4 other bills mention the cannabis-derived oil.
State Sen. Jim Tomes, a Republican from Wadesville, said he supported the “Zero THC Hemp Extract” Senate Bill 52, which passed the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law by a vote of 7-2 Tuesday.
Tomes said that If lawmakers can get the law passed with the formula it’s in right now, “I think our citizens will be happy with it.”
House Speaker Brian Bosma said he believes the climate among lawmakers is changing.
Bosma said, “Well, I think lawmakers are catching up to what many consumers already knew; that this is not a dangerous product. I believe part of the reason this has legs this year is the prosecutor’s association has come to that conclusion also, at least in great part.”
All the bills mentioned so far in this story are continuing to move through the Legislature. But, according to the Legislative Services Agency, these are other bills that focus on cannabis-derived items that are up for consideration in this year’s session: