INDIANAPOLIS – A Tuesday discussion at the Statehouse around a Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) bill descended into impassioned debate over marijuana advertising, which Republican lawmakers said should be restricted.
In contention was House Bill 1390, authored by Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie. The legislation originally dealt with BMV agency matters, like insurance verification, specialty license plates, and registration stickers.
But among multiple changes adopted by the Senate transportation committee on Tuesday, including a significant amendment addressing “predatory” towing, was a ban on “outdoor” marijuana advertising, notably on highway billboards.
Specifically, the amended bill language seeks to prohibit outdoor advertisements for products containing marijuana or a variety of other controlled substances, including heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.
The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“We have trucks, mobile billboards, that drive around and sit in front of our parks. That’s unacceptable, and it sends a mixed message to the consumer that this product is legal in Indiana, which it is not,” Pressel said, who unsuccessfully attempted to add the provision to a separate House bill earlier in the session.
Multiple advertisers pushed back.
Read more of the Casey Smith story for the Indiana Capital Chronicle and Local News Digital, here.