INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WANE) Indiana House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta of Fort Wayne expressed disappointment after an effort to legalize marijuana in the state was voted down.
State Representative Justin Moed had added an amendment to Senate Bill 20 which was taken up by the House on Thursday. The bill deals with rules for businesses that sell alcohol and hemp products.
According to the advocacy group Marijuana Moment, Moed’s amendment would have removed language defining hemp as cannabis containing no more than 0.3 percent THC by weight. By doing so, the bill would effectively legalize pot. The amendment failed, prompting GiaQuinta to issue the following statement:
“Not only will legalizing marijuana bring Indiana into the 21st Century and boost our economy, it will help Hoosiers – current and prospective – who could benefit from the legal use of medical marijuana. From chronic pain to epilepsy, medical marijuana can change lives. Legalizing marijuana in Indiana would help not just Hoosiers with medical needs already living here, but it would protect those traveling through our state with a valid prescription from one of the 37 states with common sense marijuana laws from getting in legal trouble.”
Phil GiaQuinta – Indiana House Democratic Leader
WANE 15 spoke with Indiana State Representative for District 82, Kyle Miller Friday about his thoughts on the recent vote.
“It’s time to have that conversation on legalizing medical marijuana or recreational marijuana or both,” said Miller. Giving people that opportunity not only for the state to get an economic boom from the tax dollars come in but give people that are suffering from cancer or at the end of their life or epilepsy all of these hosts of chronic pain issues a chance to a healthy normal life,” Miller explained.
