Legalizing marijuana talks are lighting up with Indiana state leaders

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - In Indiana, the laws concerning marijuana could potentially go up in smoke.

The discussions started after Indiana state police superintendent Paul Whitesell said Tuesday he supports legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana.

"It seems a little backwards when we've had so much focus on anti-smoking efforts," said Michael McAlexander, the Allen County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.

Indiana is a fiscally conservative state, and some say the taxes on legal weed would be a big money-maker. However, others say there'd still be problems even if it was legal.

"Obviously one of the concerns is that even if you legalize, would there still be a black market on it?" McAlexander said. "Would we still have people importing it illegally?"

In Indiana, 30 grams of marijuana, which is nearly equivalent to an ounce, is a Class D Felony and holds a sentence of up to three years, but some say decriminalizing it will cut down on the number of people locked up  for nonviolent crimes.

"I think if somebody wants to smoke marijuana that's their personal opinion, and if they don't want to, that's fine, but I don't think a small amount of marijuana should affect somebody's life long term," said Jesse Perez, a supporter of legalization.

Quite a few people agree that the time shouldn't be as hard for the crime, but McAlexander said weed legalization could potentially compare to the issues the country already experiences with alcohol and prescription pills abuse.

"You always have concerns when you have laws that so many people are routinely breaking," McAlexander said. "People just don't handle legal substances well."

McAlexander said in a year, Allen County deals with thousands of possession cases.

If Indiana did legalize recreational marijuana, it would be following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington who passed laws legalizing it on Election Day.