While the rest of the country is seemingly progressing forward with marijuana laws, a handful lawmakers in Indiana are moving backwards it seems. A proposal before the legislature currently would revamp the state’s criminal code could increase penalties for low-level marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a felony.
If approved on Thursday, the bill would make possession of about one-third of an ounce up to 10 pounds a low-level felony instead of a high-level misdemeanor. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, has said he wants to be stricter on drug possession and show drug dealers that the state is not a place for them to operate.