Miami County resident Leland Brown holds a sign at Jan. 6 rally in Indianapolis supporting new proposals to soften Indiana's marijuana laws. Photo by Rob Burgess, Wabash Plain Dealer Editor
As members of the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus announced proposals that would soften the state’s marijuana laws, one local activist said he joined the fight recently, hoping to spread the message of those efforts into less populated areas of the state.
“For me it’s been a long process,” Leland Brown told the Tribune on Thursday.
Brown, a retired Air Force veteran who returned to Indiana in 2018, said that after his retirement he grew increasingly aware of fellow veterans and others who have been affected by the opioid crisis and addiction and saw the softening of marijuana laws as a way to alleviate some of that suffering.
“I see those things and it’s just something I can’t ignore as a human being who cares for others,” he said.
Thursday was the same day that Senate Democratic Chair Karen Tallian (D-Ogden Dunes) and State Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) presented two proposals aimed at limiting the number of individuals arrested for possession of marijuana.
Tallian’s proposal, Senate Bill (SB) 114 (http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/114), would reduce the penalty for the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana to an infraction for a first offense.
“We are well behind the times in the State of Indiana when it comes to cannabis,” Tallian said in a news release. “It’s time to allow debate and public input on this matter, and it is time we catch up with our neighbors. In 2018 and 2019, there were over 22,000 arrests yearly for possession of small amounts of marijuana. There is no justification for this.”
The second proposal, SB 86 (http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/86), authored by Taylor, provides a defense for the possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, as long as the person has an authorized prescription for medical marijuana or has been certified by a physician for treatment with marijuana. Sen. Taylor also disclosed his disapproval of SB 436 (http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/436), authored by Sen. Mike Young. SB 436 would give the Indiana Attorney General the power to prosecute marijuana cases in counties where local prosecutors have chosen not to prosecute such cases.
“Our marijuana laws are unjust, ineffective and outdated, and states and cities across the nation are increasingly coming to this conclusion,” Taylor said in the release. “It’s time Indiana did the same. My bill would ensure that individuals with valid medicinal marijuana cards from other states are not thrown in jail here.
“The Marion County prosecutor’s decision to no longer prosecute small marijuana possession offenses in Indianapolis was a great step forward, and we need to lean into that, instead of reversing course. That’s why I’m calling on Hoosiers to step up and express their discontent for SB 436, and show their support for Senate Democratic bills that aim to move Indiana forward on the topic of cannabis.”
Brown, who has founded a group called Miami County Cannabis Advocates, said he supports both Tillian’s and Taylor’s bills and traveled to Indianapolis earlier this month for a rally to support what he described as an effort to remove the “stigma” around marijuana and the criminalization of its use.
Another of those gathered was Tina Marks, a lifelong resident of Wabash County who worked at GDX Automotive for 21 years and is the Wabash County captain for the Indiana Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Marks said the reason she was involved with the issue was her experiences witnessing the toll – both legal and illegal prescription drugs, especially opioids – have taken on Wabash.
“I’m down on big pharma. They have sucked me into it,” she said. “This one plant can do so many things. People need to educate themselves and do research. … Our community, it’s terrible. We have a meth problem. We have a heroin problem. I’ve lost a bunch of my friends. I’m disabled and it’s just really hard. Indiana needs alternatives. It’s not a cure-all, but they need alternatives. I do believe marijuana will help that problem.”
At that Jan. 6 rally, Tallian told supporters they were going to need to be patient.
“I will be very honest with you, we are not going to get marijuana legalized in this Statehouse this year. It’s not going to happen, but we’re pushing. And you have to keep doing things one step at a time, one foot in front of the other. I’ve been taking baby steps for the past 10 years. We’re still doing it. Talk to your legislators especially the ones in the Republican Party,” she said.
Will Henry, Indiana NORML chairman, said as a part of their efforts they now have connections in most Indiana counties.
Brown, like Marks, is one of those connections.
He said he has a growing following of concerned individuals on Facebook and social media and has small group he meets with as well.
His intent, he said, is to educate.
“People outside of Indianapolis or the big cities don’t know much about the cannabis reform movement,” Brown said.
“I am trying just to … slowly whittle away at that stigma surrounding cannabis,” he added.
Wabash Plain Dealer editor Rob Burgess contributed to this report.
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