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Given the federal government’s reclassification of marijuana to a Schedule III drug, is now the time for Indiana to legalize medical marijuana?
For years, the leadership within the Indiana General Assembly has stated that they would not move on the issue of medical marijuana until the federal government did so first.
This statement and metaphoric kicking of the can down the road have, as of April 23, 2026, come to an end.
There is no more road!
Cannabis and cannabis resin are now Schedule III drugs under the Controlled Substance Act, a reclassification that means the law now recognizes the plant’s medical value. The change was largely driven by the efforts of our veterans.
For the past decade, Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis Inc. has fought at the state level, passing resolutions through the Indiana Departments of the American Legion, VFW and AMVETS calling for the recognition of cannabis as a drug with medical value.
Victory for this ongoing battle actually took place in Geneva in June/December of 2018, where our veterans testified before the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence “Critical Review.”
Veterans acting as patient representatives and policy advisers provided evidence on the therapeutic benefits of cannabis for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, which led the WHO to formally recommend that “Cannabis and cannabis resin” be removed from its most restrictive category under international drug control.
Furthermore, and subsequent to the World Health Organization’s recommendations, the United Nations, again with the testimony of our veterans on Dec. 2, 2020, voted to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from its most restrictive category under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs recognizing its medicinal benefits.
With the backing of the American Legion and the VFW’s national leadership, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14370 on Dec. 18, 2025, urging the U.S. Attorney General — to which it is in his power, not the President’s — to reschedule cannabis domestically to a Schedule III under the Controlled Substance Act citing the need to comply with updated international treaty obligations.
As of April 23, 2026, cannabis is now a Schedule III drug, and Indiana has the opportunity to get this right.
Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis has presented Gov. Mike Braun and the leadership in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly with a proposed framework that outlines the creation of an Indiana Cannabis Compliance Commission.
This report covers all aspects of the cannabis industry from consumer safety, testing, education-before-you-medicate
programs, to labeling and banking.
Most importantly, this report evaluates all the 40 states that have developed a medical cannabis program and draws on the successes and failures of their programs and overwhelmingly points to a commission that should be developed as both a quasi-legislative (rulemaking) and quasi-judicial (settling disputes and issuing fines) power.
The benefit of this type of commission is that it is politically independent, staffed with a multi-member board with fixed, staggered terms.
It would provide expert-driven stability with technocratic expertise rather than shifting political agendas; bipartisan representation that encourages more moderate and unbiased regulations; and integrated power with quasi-legislative and judicial functions.
Finally, within the commission, there should be a mandated Cannabis Compliance Advisory Board that includes veterans’ voices, among others.•
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Staker is the founder of Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis. Send comments to [email protected].
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