EVANSVILLE – Marijuana has long been illegal in Indiana. But now the burgeoning hemp business that's allowed scores of Delta-8 and Delta-9 products to flood the market could be in trouble, too.
Earlier this month, as part of the massive bill to reopen the federal government, officials provided clearer definitions between what's legal and what's not.
Any derivative of the cannabis plant that exceeds "0.3 percent in the plant on a dry weight basis" in THC concentration – the compound that gets users high – will now be illegal on the federal level. The move closed an inadvertent loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that sparked the new hemp industry in the first place.
Shops in the Evansville area have already faced cannabis crackdowns in the past.
Now scores of people in the Indiana hemp business are unsure how to move forward, if they can at all.
Our neighbors to the west, north and east, however, won't have that problem.
Unlike Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio, Indiana remains one of the few holdouts in the country to keep total cannabis prohibition on the books. Even Kentucky has legalized medical marijuana. Its operations could be up and running soon.
By barring the drug, we're losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars each month. It's money that, in other states, flushes piles of cash into public schools: something Indiana could use after the property tax cut championed by Gov. Mike Braun left public schools flailing for ways to replace lost money.
Here's how much Illinois, Michigan and Ohio have raked in off adult-use cannabis sales in the last few months – as well as an update on where the newly legalized medical marijuana program stands in Kentucky.
Illinois
Illinois recorded $113.1 million in recreational marijuana sales in October alone, data from the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer show. That's a slight surge compared to September, when the state raked in $105.2 million.
May saw the highest recreational sales totals this year, with $149.7 million. Medical marijuana sales for October came in at $14.2 million.
Michigan
According to the monthly breakdown from the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency, Indiana's neighbor to the north finished with more than $267 million in adult-use sales this October alone. That included everything from flower to edibles to vapes.
Ohio
Unlike Illinois and Michigan's monthly reports, Ohio keeps a running total of sales since it officially legalized recreational cannabis in August 2024.
In the last 14 months, Ohio has seen $33 million in total sales: $20 million of which came from recreational.
Kentucky
The Kentucky legislature voted to legalize medicinal marijuana sales in March 2023, with the new program set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
Dispensaries have yet to open, however. According to its Office of Medical Cannabis, officials have spent this year staging webinars to explain "how potential patients and caregivers can become medical cannabis cardholders in 2025."
As of last month, more than 15,000 residents have been approved for medical marijuana cards, the Courier-Journal reported. And at least one dispensary – The Post in Beaver Dam – could open soon.
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