Rokita Sues to Block Medical Marijuana Rules; Patients Fire Back
INDIANAPOLIS — A federal push to reclassify marijuana has sparked a legal battle in Indiana, leaving some Hoosiers who rely on cannabis to manage debilitating chronic pain worried that their access to the drug will remain severely limited.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined forces with the attorneys general of Nebraska and Louisiana in a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s move to ease restrictions on marijuana. The legal challenge, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, targets the U.S. Department of Justice, Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, claiming proper procedures were not followed.
The federal proposal seeks to move state-approved medical marijuana from Schedule I—a category reserved for dangerous drugs with no accepted medical use—to Schedule III, a less restrictive tier that recognizes medicinal benefits.
For 46-year-old Melissa Morris, the federal shift represented a glimmer of hope. Morris has battled Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) her entire life, a rare condition that caused severe arthritis to develop in every single joint in her body.
“I am in immense pain all the time,” Morris said. “I don’t think our attorney general really understands the need. I don’t want to have to worry about being a criminal because I don’t want to be in pain.”
Morris was among the first patients in Indiana to be prescribed OxyContin in the late 1990s. By the time she turned 30, she said the prescription opioids left her feeling like a “zombie.”
“I was addicted to the drugs they were giving me,” Morris said. “It was just a vicious cycle, and I was still in pain, and on top of that, miserable.”
Sixteen years ago, Morris made the switch to cannabis gummies. Because Indiana remains one of only 10 states that completely outlaws both medicinal and recreational marijuana sales, Morris is forced to travel to Michigan every two weeks to buy her medicine.
“It saved my life,” Morris said. “I’m able to live a life now… To take something that’s life-saving from us — it just doesn’t seem fair, and life has already been pretty unfair to people like me.”
In a statement defending the lawsuit, Rokita’s office argued that easing restrictions could expand marijuana use and harm communities, particularly children and adolescents. “Marijuana is not a harmless substance,” a spokesperson for Rokita’s office said. “It carries well-documented risks, including addiction, permanent damage to adolescent brain development, increased rates of psychosis and depression, and significantly higher instances of impaired driving.”
However, pro-cannabis advocates argue the therapeutic benefits heavily outweigh those concerns for citizens with severe physical and mental health conditions.
“For some people, it does increase their productivity. For some people, it does drastically transform their life,” said Lucy Luman, a veteran and chairwoman for the pro-cannabis group Indiana NORML.
Luman believes Rokita’s lawsuit is unlikely to block momentum or halt state-level cannabis reform conversations ahead of the next legislative session.
“I do feel that a medical bill in Indiana should make a lot better progress than it has previously, especially with the current landscape, the acknowledgement from the federal government,” Luman noted. “We need to ensure that we’re not taking steps back. It’s taken so long to get to where we are now.”
While the Attorney General fights the federal reclassification, other top Indiana leadership has signaled a shifting stance. Governor Mike Braun recently indicated an openness to broader discussions regarding marijuana legalization and regulation in the state. While Governor Braun stopped short of endorsing full legalization, he stated he is open to reviewing policy recommendations and hearing proposals from lawmakers on how Indiana should navigate marijuana regulation moving forward.
