Indiana draws the line on marijuana promotions (Audio)

By: Joe Ulery, Indiana News Service

(Audio Report) – Indiana lawmakers are considering a statewide ban on marijuana advertising after a House committee approved an amendment on Monday. Joe Ulery reports.

Indiana lawmakers are considering a statewide ban on marijuana advertising after a House committee approved an amendment Monday.All Posts

Rep. Jim Pressel, R-LaPorte, said his district near the Michigan border is flooded with billboards and mailers promoting dispensaries in nearby New Buffalo.

“This is an issue in northern Indiana, for sure in my district and out as I talk to other legislators from northern Indiana,” Pressel explained. “We are inundated with billboards that advertise marijuana.”

The proposal expands on a previous Senate plan targeting billboards by prohibiting ads for illegal marijuana in all forms. Lobbyists for the advertising industry argued the move is government overreach.

Pressel, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, attached the amendment to Senate Bill 73, which originally focused on utility trailer sales. The measure would allow Indiana’s attorney general to seek injunctions and fines of up to $15,000 per violation.

“It’s driving people nuts,” Pressel contended. “We have now a rolling billboard truck; this truck tends to set up outside of the high school. It sets up outside of the parks. It sets up at baseball diamonds. I think this is unacceptable.”

The amendment covers billboards, mailers, truck ads, television and possibly online marketing. Lawmakers approved it without opposition. Cannabis is now legal in 24 states, including Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, three of Indiana’s four neighbors.