WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Senator Karen Tallian, a democrat from Ogden Dunes made public this week three bills that would update Indiana’s cannabis law.
The first bill addresses a controversy around smoking hemp in Indiana. Indiana passed a law this year legalizing the commercial production of hemp but banned the possession of smokable hemp. This contradicted the nation’s Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 which removed hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and legalized the transport of locally produced hemp in interstate commerce. Last September a federal judge ordered Indiana to stop enforcing its law which criminalizes the possession of smokable hemp. Senator Tallian’s first bill would propose lifting the ban on the possession of smokable hemp in Indiana. She says this is a mess that needs fixing. If smokable hemp does get decriminalized, law enforcement can face difficulty in distinguishing between it and marijuana. They look and smell similar.
Hemp is different from marijuana, however. It has lower concentrations of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabiol or THC. Hemp also has higher concentrations of cannabidoil or CBD. This decreases its psychoactive ingredients. CBD is used in products like oils and edibles to impart a feeling of relaxation and calm. There is scientific evidence of its effectiveness in treating two forms of childhood epilepsy. Apart from that it is marketed to relieve anxiety and pain. These products have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and there is no third party testing of CBD products. There have been reports of CBD products containing contaminants, such as pesticides and heavy metals. The second bill proposes more regulation to CBD products in Indiana.
The third bill proposes decriminalizing the possession of less than once ounce of marijuana. It would still be a ticketable infraction but would not involve jail time. Marijuana is legal in 11 states for adults over the age of 21. It is legal for medical use in 33 states. At the federal level, marijuana remains prohibited.
