Indiana Cannabis Organizations: Veterans, Patients, Industry, Civil Rights

Last verified: April 2026

Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis (HVMC)

Founded in 2016 by Jeff Staker, a 60-year-old former Marine Corps drill instructor and retired Grissom Air Reserve Base firefighter who began the group while exploring alternatives to OxyContin for his back injury. HVMC has been the most emotionally and politically resonant cannabis advocacy organization in the state.

HVMC has met with the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs and Indiana Department of Health, and met with Business Affairs Secretary Mike Speedy in January 2026 to lobby for a state cannabis commission. Staker, February 2026:

They're sticking their head in the sand, again. But, obviously, with Trump's executive order for the rescheduling, the state's going to have to do something.

Jeff Staker, founder of Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis, February 2026

Indiana NORML

The Indiana state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Active in legislative testimony, public education, and member organizing. Treasurer Jack Cain told WFYI in March 2026:

“There’s 10,000 people arrested every year in Indiana for possessing cannabis. I would like politicians to tell me exactly, how does the state of Indiana benefit from arresting all of these people?”

Indiana NORML maintains relationships with national NORML and with Sen. Karen Tallian’s reform legacy. See advocacy groups for the broader reform infrastructure.

Indiana Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA)

State trade group representing prospective cannabis-industry operators, hemp businesses, and ancillary service providers. The ICIA is the primary industry-side voice in legislative debate, working alongside the Midwest Hemp Council on hemp-specific policy and on adult-use legalization scenarios.

Midwest Hemp Council

Hemp-industry trade association led by Justin Swanson, partner at the Indianapolis law firm Bose McKinney & Evans. The Midwest Hemp Council was the most visible opponent of SB 250 (2026), the Sen. Aaron Freeman intoxicating-hemp restriction bill that died in conference. The council represents farmers, processors, distributors, and retailers across the regional hemp economy and is a critical voice on the November 12, 2026 federal hemp-redefinition cliff.

Indiana Patient Coalition (IPC)

Patient advocacy organization focused on access to medical cannabis. IPC organizes patient testimony for legislative hearings, maintains educational resources for Hoosiers seeking out-of-state medical cards under varying state reciprocity rules, and coordinates with HVMC on policy advocacy.

Marijuana Policy Project — Indiana

National reform organization with Indiana state-level engagement. MPP-Indiana tracks Indiana legislation, publishes scorecards for state legislators, and supports state-level reform organizing. State page at mpp.org/states/indiana.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana — Indiana

Included for context. SAM, the national organization founded and led by Kevin Sabet, opposes legalization on public-health grounds and provides much of the institutional research and testimony cited by Indiana’s prohibitionist coalition. SAM-aligned voices regularly appear in Indiana committee testimony alongside the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, the Indiana Catholic Conference, and the Indiana Family Institute. Listed here so the reader has the full picture of the organizations active in Indiana cannabis policy debate.

ACLU of Indiana

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana works on civil rights and drug policy more broadly. ACLU-IN’s drug-policy litigation and advocacy intersects cannabis through Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure questions, racial-disparity analysis of marijuana arrests, and conditional-discharge-and-expungement support. ACLU-IN does not take a formal position favoring legalization but consistently challenges enforcement abuses.

Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC) — Purdue University

The state hemp regulator. OISC, housed at Purdue, oversees Indiana’s hemp-cultivation licensing program under federal Farm Bill compliance. It is not a marijuana regulator (Indiana has no marijuana program) and it is not an industry trade body, but its rulemaking and enforcement decisions shape the boundary between hemp and marijuana for every Indiana grower and processor. Critical for compliance questions on the 2026 federal cliff.

Indiana State Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service

For Hoosiers facing possession, dealing, paraphernalia, DUI, or hemp-business-licensing matters, the Indiana State Bar Association maintains a Lawyer Referral Service that connects callers to attorneys with relevant practice areas. ISBA does not take cannabis-policy positions but is the primary front door for Hoosiers needing legal representation. (CannabisIndiana.org provides information only, not legal advice; if you face charges, contact an attorney.)

Quick-Reference Directory

How to Contact

Most of these organizations maintain public websites with leadership contact information, hearing-testimony archives, and volunteer signups. CannabisIndiana.org does not endorse, fundraise for, or coordinate any of them; this directory exists so Hoosiers can find the relevant front door for advocacy, patient resources, industry questions, regulatory compliance, or legal referrals.

If your organization should appear here or your entry needs an update, please contact us.

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