A new House bill is being heard by lawmakers to decriminalize marijuana in Indiana. House Bill 1297 had a hearing with the Courts and Criminal Code Committee on Feb. 15.
If passed, this bill would allow people to have up to two ounces of marijuana without being penalized. An age requirement of being at least 21 years old to possess marijuana would be added. Edibles would also be legalized to be included within the possession limit.
The other bills with legislation revolving around marijuana include House Bill 1263, Senate Bill 70, and Senate Bill 82.
HB 1263 would allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. SB 70 would decriminalize possession of one ounce of marijuana. SB 82 would establish a defense for someone operating a vehicle or boat with marijuana in their system, as long as they weren’t also intoxicated.
While the bill had a hearing, it did not get a vote from the lawmakers. Republican Representative Heath VanNatter, who authored the bill, mentioned, “The public is shifting in this direction, and legislators are following that,” regardless of the bill being voted on.
Tony Katz mentions that legislation of legalizing marijuana is bound to come into the conversation, and other questions should also be addressed including,
“Do we accept the fact that maybe if we want to legalize it, we also don’t want it being smoked in downtown or other gathering areas to the point where it makes other people [high]?”
