Pubdate: Mon, 19 Jan 2015
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2015 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact: http://www2.indystar.com/help/letters.html
Website: http://www.indystar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210
Author: Kristine Guerra

BILLS WOULD LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Two Democrats - one in the Senate and one in the House - have 
introduced bills that would allow the use of medical marijuana in Indiana.

Senate Bill 284, by Sen. Karen Tallian, and House Bill 1487, by Rep. 
Sue Errington, would allow people with a doctor's recommendation to 
use marijuana for medical purposes.

Tallian's bill would create the Department of Marijuana Enforcement, 
or DOME, which would oversee a program for those who use marijuana 
for treatment. The Democrat from Portage has long fought for 
legalization of marijuana in Indiana, but her efforts have failed. 
She has introduced bills that would have decriminalized possession of 
small amounts of marijuana. Two bills Tallian wrote the past two 
years died without a hearing.

In an earlier interview with The Indianapolis Star, Tallian said she 
hoped a more narrowly defined bill focusing on people with certain 
medical conditions would gain more support in Indiana.

Errington, of Muncie, is advocating for medical marijuana use after 
hearing from constituents who are suffering from chronic pain and 
seizures, according to a news release. HB 1487 defines a "qualifying 
patient" as someone who has a written recommendation from a physician 
to use cannabis. Under Errington's bill, people with medical 
conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn's 
disease, Alzheimer's disease and others could use cannabis for treatment.

But experts have said that the chances of a Republican-controlled 
legislature legalizing marijuana are pretty slim, and that Indiana 
likely would be one of the last states to do so.

Last month, Congress passed a spending bill that would end federal 
raids in states where medical marijuana is legal. Thirty-two states 
and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some fashion.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom