Cannabis
in Indiana

Indiana sets no lawful possession limit because cannabis remains illegal in any amount for both recreational and medical use. Under Indiana Code 35-48-4-11, a first offense for possessing less than 30 grams is a Class B misdemeanor carrying up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. A prior drug conviction raises it to a Class A misdemeanor with up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine, and 30 grams or more with a prior conviction becomes a Level 6 felony with six months to two and a half years in prison. Paraphernalia brings separate charges. First-time offenders may be offered conditional discharge, and the Marion County prosecutor has at times declined to charge small possession cases, but that is discretion, not law.

Indiana has no legal age for cannabis because the state has no recreational or medical program; possession is a crime at any age. The age question comes up mainly for hemp-derived products. CBD with no more than 0.3 percent THC is legal to buy and possess when properly labeled, and the Indiana Senate has passed a bill aimed at keeping THC products away from people under 21. The research for this page does not confirm whether that bill became law, so buyers should not assume a settled statewide age rule for hemp products. Selling cannabis of any amount to a minor is a felony carrying one to six years in prison.

Growing cannabis at home is illegal in Indiana for everyone, with no exception for patients, since the state has neither a medical nor an adult-use program. Cultivation is prosecuted under Indiana Code 35-48-4-11 alongside possession, and larger grows can be charged as dealing, which becomes a Level 6 felony once the amount passes 30 grams and a Level 5 felony above 10 pounds. The one legal form of cultivation is industrial hemp with no more than 0.3 percent THC, grown under the 2018 federal Farm Bill framework. Hemp growers need a license from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, must supply GPS coordinates for their fields, pass background checks, and pay application and annual fees.

Indiana has no agency that regulates cannabis, because there is no legal cannabis market to oversee. Marijuana is treated purely as a controlled substance, defined in Indiana Code 35-48-1-19 to cover any part of the plant including seeds and resin extracts, and enforcement falls to police and county prosecutors under Title 35 of the criminal code. The closest thing to a regulator is the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, which licenses and inspects hemp growers, processors and researchers working with plants at or below 0.3 percent THC. Hemp-derived CBD products are governed by Senate Bill 52, which sets labeling and THC rules for products sold in stores.

Indiana has no legal cannabis sales, so there is no excise or retail tax on cannabis purchases. One quirk remains on the books: according to NORML's summary of Indiana law, the state requires marijuana tax stamps to be purchased and affixed to cannabis. Laws of this kind were designed to add a tax liability on top of criminal penalties for people caught with untaxed cannabis, rather than to create a legal market, and buying a stamp does not make possession lawful. Legal hemp-derived CBD products are sold through ordinary retail channels, and the research for this page does not identify a special tax on them.

There is no lawful place to consume cannabis in Indiana, whether in public, at home, or at a business, because the state has not legalized it for any purpose. Consumption lounges and dispensaries do not exist. Using cannabis can also bring charges beyond possession: driving under its influence is prohibited under Indiana Code 9-30-5-1, and paraphernalia is a separate offense. The state has gone further than many on hemp as well. Smokable hemp is illegal under Indiana Code 35-48-4-10.1 and treated as a Class A misdemeanor, and intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids such as delta-8, delta-10, THC-O and THC-P are classified as Schedule I substances, so they cannot be used legally either.

Indiana does not issue medical cannabis cards, and there is no process for getting one. The state has no medical program, no licensed dispensaries, and no legal mechanism for a doctor to recommend cannabis. Some commercial websites advertise Indiana card appointments, but a certification from such a service does not provide any legal protection under Indiana law. Lawmakers have repeatedly introduced bills to create a program, including House Bill 1178, and more than a dozen cannabis bills were filed in the 2022 session alone, but none has passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly. In May 2025 the state instead moved in the other direction, with Governor Mike Braun signing a law banning marijuana advertising.

No medical condition qualifies anyone to use cannabis legally in Indiana, because the state has never created a medical program. Having a diagnosis such as cancer, chronic pain or PTSD does not provide a defense to possession charges. What Indiana does allow is hemp-derived CBD. Senate Bill 52 made CBD oil with no more than 0.3 percent THC legal to buy, sell and possess when labeled correctly, and state law has specifically contemplated CBD oil for patients with seizure disorders. These products are available without a diagnosis or card. Legislators have proposed medical programs that would have created condition lists, but none of those bills advanced.

There are no application requirements for medical cannabis in Indiana because the state accepts no applications. Patients, minors and caregivers alike cannot register, no fees are charged, and no online portal exists. Some card-service sites describe residency, ID and physician certification steps, but those describe how programs work elsewhere rather than any Indiana process, and a doctor in Indiana cannot lawfully recommend cannabis. The only cannabis-related licenses Indiana issues are for hemp. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture requires hemp license applicants to be Indiana residents or have an operational base in the state, pass a background check, and have no felony drug conviction in the past ten years.

Indiana has nothing to renew. No medical cannabis card has ever been issued by the state, so there is no renewal cycle, fee, or deadline. Anyone who has paid a private service for an Indiana certification should understand that it carries no legal standing and does not need to be kept current. The only renewals tied to the cannabis plant in Indiana are hemp licenses administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, which charge annual fees and, for processors, require annual inspections. If the General Assembly ever creates a medical program, renewal terms would be set in that legislation; no bill establishing one has advanced so far.

No telemedicine rules exist for cannabis in Indiana because no in-person rules exist either; there is no medical program and no clinician can lawfully recommend cannabis there. Several commercial sites nonetheless advertise telemedicine appointments and same-day certifications for Indiana residents. Those recommendations do not create legal protection in Indiana, where possession of any amount remains a crime. A certification from a provider licensed in another state also does not help an Indiana resident, because Indiana does not recognize out-of-state programs. Residents who want lawful access within the state are limited to hemp-derived CBD products at or below 0.3 percent THC, which require no recommendation.

Indiana does not recognize medical cannabis cards from any other state. A visitor with a valid card from home, or an Indiana resident who holds one from elsewhere, is treated the same as anyone else and can be charged under Indiana's possession laws. That matters because three of Indiana's four neighbors, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, have legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older, so residents can buy legally just across the border. Bringing that cannabis back into Indiana is still illegal under state law, and crossing a state line with it is also a federal offense. Out-of-state purchases are therefore only lawful where they are made and used.