Marijuana Moment: Indiana Will ‘Have To Address’ Marijuana Legalization Because It’s ‘Lagging’ Behind Neighboring States, Governor Says

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The Republican governor of Indiana says the fact that four neighboring states have moved to legalize marijuana in some form means Hoosiers are “probably going to have to address” the issue, while also likening cannabis reform to sports betting.

Lawmakers in the state have already signaled that marijuana legalization isn’t in the cards in the 2026 session, meaning another year where Indiana will be an outlier as one of the few remaining states without effective medical or adult-use cannabis laws. But Gov. Mike Braun (R) said regional policy developments can’t be ignored.

“I’m kind of agnostic on that issue,” he said on Thursday during a fireside chat focused on broadband access, “but when you’ve got four states surrounding you, you’re probably going to have to address it.”

Braun was referring to the fact that three of Indiana’s bordering states—Illinois, Michigan and Ohio—have moved to legalize adult-use marijuana, while the fourth, Kentucky, has been implementing a medical cannabis program.

“I think that kind of analog to all the different ways you can sports bet or bet in general, which has got a direct connection to high-speed internet—I’m going to be there listening and probably trying to measure out the pros and cons and make sure that we’re not the state that’s lagging most,” the governor said at a Fiber Broadband Association event in Indianapolis,, as State Affairs reported.

To be sure, there have been some examples of lawmakers linking marijuana and sports betting, especially in the context of generating revenue by regulating and taxing the two markets. The tie-in to high-speed internet access, however, appeared to be an attempt to circle the conversation back to the main subject matter of the fireside chat.

The governor said in January that he’s “amenable” to the idea of legalizing medical cannabis in the state, but GOP leadership in the legislature has balked at the prospect. Instead, Indiana legislators this session have been focused on efforts to ban hemp THC products—though it seems that fight is over for 2026 after a last-minute push failed late last month.

Braun has also said that a move by President Donald Trump to federally reschedule marijuana could add “a little bit of fire” to the local push for cannabis legalization in his state. Months later, Trump did sign an executive order directing the attorney general to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), but that hasn’t materialized yet.

Among Indiana residents, however, a survey released in January found that nearly three in five back legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use.

Specifically, the annual Hoosier Survey from the Bowen Center at Ball State University (BSU) found that 59 percent of residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes. An additional 25 percent back only allowing patients to access medical marijuana, raising the total support for that reform to 84 percent.

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Braun, for his part, previously said that “it’s probably time” to allow access to therapeutic cannabis among patients in the state. Those comments came alongside a separate poll indicating that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support marijuana legalization.

Top Republicans in the legislature, however, have openly opposed marijuana reform.

“It’s no secret that I am not for this,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said in late 2024. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases as to why it’s so beneficial. And any state that I’ve seen pass medical marijuana is essentially passing recreational marijuana.”

House Speaker Todd Huston (R) doubted any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance “a deterrent to mental health.” He and others suggested that lawmakers supportive of the reform merely want to boost state revenue.

A number of marijuana reform bills were introduced for the Indiana legislature’s 2025 session, including one—from Reps. Jim Lucas (R) and Shane Lindauer (R)—that would have legalized medical marijuana for people with “serious medical conditions as determined by their physician.”

Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.

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