The upswell of support for the Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis from four major veterans groups could be enough to force lawmakers to bring one of the bills languishing in the legislature to a vote, WFLI reports.
Earlier this month, the Indiana American Legion sent a letter to the state legislature urging them to “remove restrictions from marijuana and reclassify it in a category that, at a minimum, will recognize cannabis as a drug with potential medical value.” National groups AMVETS, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans have offered their support for the Indiana activist calling for access.
Jeff Staker, a Marine veteran leading the efforts of Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis, said that there are 11 bills in the legislature dealing with either medical cannabis, hemp, or cannabinoids so their work is “getting a notice.” He credits the recent support, in part, to a public service announcement aired by the group in December.
“Not only are 3 out of 4 Hoosiers supportive of it, over 80 percent of our veterans are supportive of it,” he said in the report.
According to the report, just last month State Rep. Sheila Klinker told the station that Indiana would be “the last state” to even look at legalizing medical cannabis, but now she thinks they could be “willing to look at [it.]”
Staker indicated he is working on meeting with Gov. Eric Holcomb about the issue soon.
“They say it’s not going to happen this year,” he said. “Maybe not, but in my eyes right now – the fight is on.”