Indiana’s Republican Governor Is ‘Amenable’ To Medical Marijuana Legalization Even As Top GOP Lawmakers Oppose It

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) reiterated this week that he’s “amenable” to legalizing medical marijuana in the Hoosier state, but he acknowledged it remains an open question whether Republican lawmakers will even take up the matter.

“When it comes to medical marijuana, I’m clear on record that I’m going to be amenable to hearing a case for it,” he told local reporters Wednesday.

“I guess that will be a high-profile bill,” Braun added, according to the publication State Affairs, “Whether it gets a hearing or not, we’ll see.”

At the same time, the governor said he’s skeptical of broader adult-use cannabis legalization.

“When it comes to recreational, I’ve been clear that that has a need for further discussion. We see in some states they’ve not been happy with the results of it,” Braun said, according to local NBC affiliate WTHR.

He pointed out that Indiana is “now surrounded by four states, at least two of which have the entire spectrum legalized when it comes to recreational,” the publication The Statehouse File reported.

Braun has previously said that “it’s probably time” to allow access to therapeutic cannabis among patients in the state. Those comments came alongside a poll indicating that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support marijuana legalization.

Top Republicans in the legislature, however, have openly opposed marijuana reform.

“It’s no secret that I am not for this,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said during a panel at a law firm event in Indianapolis last month. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases as to why it’s so beneficial. And any state that I’ve seen pass medical marijuana is essentially passing recreational marijuana.”

House Speaker Todd Huston (R), meanwhile, doubted any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance “a deterrent to mental health.” He and others suggested that lawmakers supportive of the reform merely want to boost state revenue.

When Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor (D) said he felt Indiana was in fact falling behind other nearby states that have already legalized medical marijuana, Huston shot back: “If we are behind on having fewer people using an addictive substance, I don’t know, I’m OK with that.”

A number of marijuana reform bills have already been introduced for the coming year, including one—from Republican Reps. Jim Lucas and Shane Lindauer—that would legalize medical marijuana for people with “serious medical conditions as determined by their physician.”

The state Department of Health would be responsible for regulating the program under that bill, HB 1178. The legislation would also take steps to prevent “harassment of medical marijuana users by law enforcement officers” and prohibit “cooperation with federal law enforcement officials seeking to enforce federal laws that criminalize the use of marijuana authorized in Indiana,” according to a summary.

Other bills include a Democrat-led adult-use legalization measure (HB 1332), a Republican proposal to decriminalize possession of personal possession and cultivation of cannabis (HB 1145) as well as a Democratic senator’s plan to legalize both medical and recreational use (SB 113).

Rep. Heath VanNatter (R), the author of the decriminalization bill and a backer of a broader legalization legislation  (HB 1630), said his goal is “capturing the existing market with responsible solutions in its entirety out of the gate,” according to WTHR. “We ensure that law enforcement and Hoosiers—not criminals—benefit from this reform.”

The legalization bill is supported by the group Safe and Regulated Indiana.

Call your representative today and tell them to support HB 1630! pic.twitter.com/lhtZ6qHiQt

— Safe & Regulated Indiana (@SafeRegulatedIN) January 15, 2025

Republican Rep. Jake Tesha is supporting VanNetter’s legalization bill and told State Affairs he believes public support for legalization continues to grow.

“Hoosiers are reaching out, they’re asking for this,” the lawmaker said. “We believe that it’s time to have the conversation. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that we’re not going to push forward.”

Sam Barloga, a spokesperson for state Democrats, identified marijuana as an area where the party might find agreement with the Republican governor in the new legislative session.

“As a party, we stand ready to work with Governor Braun where we can find common ground, such as cannabis reform, and on the issues Hoosiers care about,” Barloga said, according to a report from local outlet FOX59.

It’s still unclear, however, whether supporters can win over enough Republicans in the legislature to move the proposal forward.

VanNetter told State Affairs he doesn’t know how the legalization bill will be received, but he noted that at least some GOP lawmakers seem to be coming around on the issue.

“I can tell you every session, there’s more and more Republican legislators getting on board,” he said. “The momentum of this building and our constituents are reaching out in huge numbers.”

A separate, bipartisan psychedelics bill, HB 1166, would appropriate a total of $600,000 in the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years to support an existing psilocybin research program that was enacted under a bill signed by outgoing Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) last March.

A state-created study committee had recommended that lawmakers authorize a psilocybin pilot program to research psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health during this year’s legislative session, advising that “the Indiana General Assembly take an approach that strikes a balance between access, research, and prudence.”

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