The Bills That Keep Dying

Last verified: April 2026

How Indiana Cannabis Bills Die

The procedural pattern is mechanical and predictable. A senator files a bill, the Senate Rules Committee refers it to a substantive committee — almost always Sen. Aaron Freeman’s Corrections and Criminal Law. House cannabis bills go to Rep. Wendy McNamara’s Courts and Criminal Code. Neither chair calls the bill for a hearing. The session ends. The bill dies. The interim study committee may hold a multi-hour hearing the following fall but issues no recommendations. The cycle repeats.

Senate Pres. Pro Tem Rodric Bray controls Senate Rules referrals and committee chair appointments; House Speaker Todd Huston controls the House analog. See the political chokepoint for the four-person leadership profile.

The 2024 Graveyard

At least ten cannabis-related bills died in the 2024 session. Headline filings:

• SB 99 — Sen. Rodney Pol and Sen. Fady Qaddoura, adult-use legalization. Died.
• SB 107 — Sens. David Niezgodski and Fady Qaddoura, cannabis production framework. Died.
• SB 126 — Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis), comprehensive medical program. Died.
• SB 294 — Sens. Eric Bassler and Rodney Pol, federal-tied medical commission. Died in Senate Commerce on January 22, 2024.
• HB 1146 — Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour), full medical program. Died.
• HB 1282 — Rep. Blake Johnson (D-Indianapolis), production and sales. Died.
• HB 1349 + HB 1350 — Reps. Heath VanNatter, Steven Bartels, and Jake Teshka, decriminalization paired with regulated sales. Died.
• HB 1410 — Rep. Zach Payne (R-Charlestown), adult-use legalization at age 18+. Died.

The 2023 Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code held a six-hour hearing on adult-use cannabis in November 2023. It issued no recommendations.

The 2025 Graveyard

Approximately eight cannabis bills died in the 2025 session:

• HB 1178 — Reps. Jim Lucas and Lori Lindauer, medical program. Died in House Public Health on January 8, 2025.
• HB 1145 — Rep. Heath VanNatter, decriminalization. Died.
• HB 1630 — Rep. Heath VanNatter, production, sales, and tax framework. Died.
• HB 1654 — Rep. Zach Payne, adult-use at 18+. Died.
• HB 1332 — Rep. Blake Johnson. Died.
• SB 113 — comprehensive cannabis framework. Died.
• SB 341 — Sen. R. Michael Young, medical program contingent on federal rescheduling. Died in Senate Health and Provider Services on January 13, 2025.
• SB 400 — Sen. Greg Taylor, medical. Died.

After lawmakers ruled out marijuana legalization for the projected $2 billion budget shortfall in April 2025, House Speaker Todd Huston declared cannabis legalization “will not be part of this year’s budget discussions.”

It's not going to happen this year.

Rep. Heath VanNatter (R-Kokomo), explaining his decision not to file marijuana legislation in 2026, Indiana Capital Chronicle

The 2026 Short Session — the Year of Retreat

The 2026 session is a short, non-budget session. House rules limit members to five bills in short sessions, sharpening choices about what to file. Republican advocate Heath VanNatter publicly chose not to file marijuana legislation in 2026, telling the Indiana Capital Chronicle: “It’s not going to happen this year.”

Instead, the Statehouse spent 2026 debating Sen. Aaron Freeman’s SB 250 — a hemp restriction bill that capped THC at 0.4 mg per container, banned synthetic cannabinoids, and included an explicit anti-rescheduling clause designed to block automatic state alignment with any federal marijuana rescheduling. SB 250 passed the Senate 35-13 but died on February 24, 2026 after missing the House second-reading deadline. A revival attempt via SB 144 amendment also failed. See the November 2026 federal cliff.

Other 2026 filings:

• Rep. Jim Pressel proposed banning out-of-state dispensary billboards visible from Indiana roadways — an attempt to suppress Niles, Danville, and Eaton marketing aimed at Hoosiers.
• Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis) filed a limited-possession bill aimed at decriminalizing small amounts.

Recent Indiana Cannabis Bills at a Glance

The Tallian Legacy

Former Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Ogden Dunes), known among reformers as “The Pot Legislator,” was the most persistent Senate sponsor of cannabis bills before her 2022 retirement. Her run included:

• SB 347 (2012) — early decriminalization framework
• SB 580 (2013) — killed by then-Sen. Mike Young
• SB 314 (2014) — medical-cannabis study
• SB 114 (2020) — comprehensive reform
• SB 87 / SB 223 (2021) — medical and decriminalization paired

None passed. Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) has effectively inherited the role of persistent Senate Republican advocate, filing or co-sponsoring medical cannabis bills annually. See advocacy groups for the broader reform infrastructure.

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