Indiana lawmakers won't consider marijuana legalization
If you had high hopes Indiana's budget crisis would cause lawmakers to take another look at marijuana legalization, don't hold your breath.
Catch up quick: Lawmakers learned last week they need to cut a staggering $2 billion from their two-year spending plan — or find a way to close the gap with additional revenue.
As it stands, lawmakers have just $170 million in new dollars to spend in 2026 and $30 million in 2027.
That's not much, considering the state spends around $22 billion annually and its Medicaid expenses are projected to grow by more than $400 million in the first year and another $375 million in the second.
Between the lines: Statehouse leaders have said "everything is on the table" when it comes to writing a balanced budget, and that includes cuts and, possibly, new taxes.
Yes, but: Not everything.
What they're saying:"We're not going to legalize marijuana in the budget," House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) told reporters Thursday.
Huston said legislators wouldn't consider fast-tracking significant public policy changes in the final week of the legislative session simply to close a budget gap.
Plus: The taxes generated from legalization wouldn't solve Indiana's financial problems.
A fiscal analysis from the state's Legislative Services Agency estimated that recreational marijuana would generate between $100 million and $200 million annually once a cannabis program was fully implemented (which would take some time).
What's more likely: Raising the cigarette tax by $1 would bring in an estimated $200 million annually and is a policy that's already been vetted by the legislative process multiple times.
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Boston Globe
30 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
A $2.8 billion settlement will change college sports forever. Here's how.
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Lawmakers' victim apathy and more: Letters to the Editor — June 8, 2025
Focus on victims My heart goes out to Theresa Bliss, whose son was brutally murdered ('Stop Ignoring Victims,' PostOpinion, June 3). Ms. Bliss said it all so well, too: Lawmakers must stop ignoring the families whose children have been senselessly murdered. It is beyond belief that lawmakers go to extremes to support these despicable killers, while disregarding the agony of these devastated and heartbroken families, who will likely never get over their excruciating tragedy. Advertisement It's high time that public officials take a closer look at what they are doing on behalf of these terrible offenders and reach out to and support these families, rather than pander to these criminals. Enough is enough. And prayers to you, Ms. Bliss. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Jeannie McDermott-Weldin, Dumont, NJ Folly of Medicare Re: 'They're Not Cutting Enough' (Editorial, June 4), when I turned 65, I was happy with my private insurance, and had little desire to enroll in Medicare, which, like Medicaid, is financially teetering. Advertisement Yet, I was told that if I didn't enroll in Medicare when I was 65, I would be penalized if I later opted for such coverage. Thus, I reluctantly enrolled in Medicare and purchased a private 'supplemental' plan to cover the gaps in Medicare coverage. I have wondered why the government would coerce persons such as myself to enroll in a financially stressed system when I was more than happy to pay for my private insurance and thus not burden the government. The answer most often given to me is that it was part of a subtle attempt to destroy private health insurance and thus to bring about a 'universal' plan controlled by the government, which people such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez openly advocate for. That would be the same government that has gotten us into this precarious position regarding the long-term viability of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — plus an unsustainable national debt. Advertisement Edward Hochman, Manhattan ADL's irrelevance As an honorary lifetime member of the Anti-Defamation League's National Commission, I am in strong agreement with the premise of Kathryn Wolf's excellent critique of America's major Jewish organizations ('Mission drift,' PostScript, June 1). I believe that the ADL, for one, has not been fulfilling its original mission from 1913 of fighting antisemitism in the United States. Rather, it engages in costly, sophisticated statistical research, but does not focus enough on education. Advertisement Beyond that, it has concerned itself inappropriately with Israeli politics, thus diminishing its focus on US institutional and university-based antisemitism. The question is: How relevant have the major Jewish organizations been? M.A. Fermaglich, Tenafly, NJ Ernst's fake 'sorry' Sen. Joni Ernst seems to have dug her own grave with a bonkers graveyard 'apology' for her snarky and inappropriate 'we're all going to die' comment at her town hall the day before ('Senator in mock apology,' June 2). In her ersatz mea culpa, she dissed the Tooth Fairy (?) and told us to embrace her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Ernst has probably given her saner and wiser opponent, Nathan Sage, the inside track in Iowa's next senatorial election. Even the Tooth Fairy might agree with that. Bob Canning, Petaluma, Calif. Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
