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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowLast month, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill declared that CBD oil, a non-psychoactive substance derived from the hemp plant and used by thousands of Hoosiers to treat a variety of physical and medical conditions including opioid withdrawal symptoms, is illegal. Gov. Eric Holcomb doubled down by ordering State Excise Police to begin confiscating CBD oil from retail stores. Unless the General Assembly acts soon, this harmless and often highly beneficial substance will no longer be available to Hoosiers who suffer from epilepsy, PTSD and addiction to opioids.
In its 2016 platform, the Indiana Republican Party extolled the virtue of protecting people from governmental intrusions. During his campaign, Hill complained that the federal government was harming Hoosiers with burdensome rules. Hill and Gov. Holcomb are now insisting that, when it comes to CBD oil, they know better than the vast majority of Hoosiers what is best for them. They are out of step with both public opinion and medical science.
Instead of declaring war on a substance that has helped thousands of Hoosiers, they should support legislation to make CBD oil more widely available to treat serious conditions afflicting Hoosiers and, in particular, those who have been victimized by this state’s horrific opioid addiction crisis.
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William Growth, Neal Smith, John Northerner, David Phipps, Jason Straw, Janie Westermeier
National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
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