Indiana Cannabis Debate: Multi Billion Dollar Market Exposes Lost Tax Revenue and Failed Prohibition Policies

This has come out in a variety of publications now here in central Indiana about how much money Hoosiers are spending on marijuana on cannabis. And I’m using MJ Biz Daily, but several publications had the same article with the same information. The Indiana cannabis market, this is an unbelievable number, and we have talked about for years now how stupid the prohibition laws are in the state of Indiana. Look, I have never smoked marijuana in my entire life. I’ve never done any sort of illegal substance, just not my thing. But I also recognize that it is some people’s thing. And my thing generally is if it ain’t going to kill you and you want to do it in the confines of your own living space and it doesn’t affect me, what the hell do I care.

Indiana’s $1.8 Billion Cannabis Market Reveals Scope of Usage

I certainly feel very strongly about the legalization for medical purposes. If you’re working with a trained medical professional and you want to make that choice with your doctor, why do I care what you do. And the answer is that the government here in Indiana has blocked this because of the pull of our pharmaceutical lobby. They allow people to suffer. They’ve taken away just basic stuff. Now we’ve had this conversation for years. There is a huge difference between someone who is using marijuana in their own home, which isn’t affecting anyone but them, and someone who’s trying to do it in the public square where I got to smell it and I got to see it. I don’t think anybody’s talking about that being okay. I don’t think anybody’s talking about hey you can go to town hall and you can light up in front of it. I’m talking about from a recreational purpose doing it in your own home, around your own friends, your own yard, whatever, and from a medical purpose it ain’t none of my damn business what you and your doctor decide. Your best course of medical treatment is if you don’t like, if we don’t like the medical advice the doctor’s giving, if we think he or she’s doing something illegal or unethical, then revoke their medical license. But if we’re going to say you’re licensed to practice medicine in the state, it’s your job to work with the patient and my job to butt out.

Prohibition vs Reality: Why Enforcement Has Failed in Indiana

So the Indiana cannabis market is $1.8 billion, $1.8 billion of money leaving our state or staying in our state under the table, because as we’ve said for years everybody that wants to do it is going to do it. Every person who wants to smoke weed or do gummies or whatever is going to do it in our state, in another state, whatever. Ask Abdul, he brags about it, and it’s a big joke, right. Like everybody knows what Abdul does and what he probably has on or around his person. He writes about it, he brags about it, he talks about where he goes to get it. Oh Abdul’s leaving the state, let’s follow him. If you really wanted to enforce it, and so many non high profile Hoosiers are the same way, it’s a big freaking joke. We all know everybody who wants to do it is doing it. So if everybody who wants to do it is doing it, why are we quote unquote prohibiting them from doing it, what are we even prohibiting them from doing. According to this study, 1.3 million Hoosiers use cannabis. We’re a state of 7 million people, take away children, because I would hope most of it is not kids, although I don’t know, so let’s say we’re using a pool of 5 million potential users, 5 million adults, one out of every five people in the state is using cannabis. Anybody who wants to use cannabis is using cannabis. The only thing we’re doing by prohibiting cannabis use is we’re prohibiting money coming to our state.

Lost Tax Revenue and Economic Impact of Cannabis Laws

We’re about to raise taxes by $6.5 billion on 70 because Braun claims we’re too broke to pay for the roads. Of course he’s found up to $700 million in new toll tax increases to pay for the Bears to have a free stadium, but when it comes to you and roads you use, we’re too broke. $180 million annually is the estimated tax revenue that could come into the state of Indiana. $180 million. The stats show that 44% of Indiana residents live within 50 miles of a dispensary, almost half our state, 96% live within 100 miles of a dispensary. Anybody who wants this stuff is getting it. If the argument was we don’t want anybody to have it, then okay, like if it’s the 1980s and it’s Nancy Reagan and it’s there to keep kids off of drugs, okay, all the states around us have it, this is ridiculous. Everybody who wants it is getting it. You know who’s winning on this, the pharmaceutical lobby. That’s who it is. And are they really actually winning if a fifth of the people are actually getting it.

Policy Debate Grows Over Medical Use, Safety, and State Priorities

We are a state that spends millions and millions of dollars trying to get people unhooked on dangerous opioids. People die. Has anyone ever died of a marijuana overdose. If you told me somebody’s going to get addicted to something, you say it’s weed or opioids, I’m choosing weed for that person and for humanity. Again, I’m not a marijuana smoker, the worst thing I’ve done in my life is drink excessively many times, but I don’t begrudge people who want to do their own thing if it doesn’t harm me, if it’s not harming society, if it’s in the confines of their own home. We are costing ourselves.