Behind alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana is the most commonly used substance across the country and can lead to addiction issues, luckily, there are Indiana drug rehabs that can help patients if they are dealing with substance abuse problems.
Marijuana is in a strange place in the United States, in some states it is legal, in others it is decriminalized, and others have it legal for medical use or completely illegal. On top of all of this, it is still listed in the Controlled Substances Act and is a federally illegal substance.
Because of all of this, you may feel somewhat confused on how your state will deal with marijuana. Learning about Indiana marijuana laws specifically and how they compare to other laws around the country will help further your understanding and opinions about marijuana as a substance.
Marijuana Laws In Indiana
Indiana is the most readily available and most commonly abused drug in Indiana. Currently, marijuana is still completely illegal in nearly the entirety of the states.
It is illegal to possess marijuana or other byproducts of the substance, like hashish, in Indiana. The penalties for specific marijuana laws vary depending on the crime.
Some of the possession penalties are as follows:
- Possession of any amount of marijuana is a class B misdemeanor and is punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both if the defendant has no prior drug convictions
- Possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana is a class A misdemeanor and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 or both if the defendant has a prior drug conviction
- Lastly, if you possess over 30 grams and have had a prior drug conviction, it is a class 6 felony and is punishable by between 6 months in jail and 2.5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
These are just possession charges. The deeper you go, the more serious the punishment.
For example, for those who are manufacturing or distributing marijuana, depending on the amount of punishment can range anywhere from 6 months in jail to 6 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
While medical marijuana is not currently legal in Indiana, there are other counties that have taken different approaches to marijuana legislation.
Marion County
Marion County in Indiana, home to Indianapolis, the largest city and state capital, did make changes to marijuana laws very recently.
On September 30, 2019, then-Acting Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced that having a small amount of marijuana in your possession will no longer result in criminal possession charges.
However, there will be criminal charges associated if the crime is beyond possession.
While this may be a step toward more lax Indiana marijuana laws, nothing has been put forward yet and, in the past, many statewide decriminalization laws have been shot down. It is too soon to tell if this is a one-off or if this is something that the state will begin to transition to.
Legality Around The Country
In the United States, recreational use of marijuana is legal in 11 states. The following states have legal recreational marijuana include:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
Besides these states, there are multiple other states that have marijuana legal for medical purposes.
Medical Marijuana
While marijuana isn’t an FDA-approved medicine, there are many states that have legalized marijuana due to its perceived medical capabilities. It should be noted that not enough research has been done to show that the benefits of marijuana outweigh the risks associated with it.
While there is debate among the scientific community about the medical efficacy of marijuana. And if there is some evidence that medical marijuana can be effective, how effective is it?
In general, more research needs to be done before any definitive claims can be made. With that said, there are some conclusions we can draw.
For one, some animal studies have shown that certain forms of marijuana may help to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of others. Furthermore, researchers have conducted clinical trials that have looked into the effectiveness of treating symptoms of such illnesses and conditions such as HIV, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, pain, seizures, and more.
Dangers of Marijuana
While marijuana may not be one of the more dangerous drugs available, there are still concerns associated with the use of marijuana, especially among adolescents and young adults. This is something that needs to be addressed as there is widespread use of marijuana among young adults. With that said, there is evidence that rates of marijuana use among middle and high school students have dropped or stayed stagnant in recent years.
With that said, there are still things that need to be understood about marijuana use.
Short-Term Effects
When a person smokes marijuana, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, passes from the lungs and into the bloodstream. People will generally feel the effects of smoking marijuana after 30 minutes or an hour.
The use of marijuana activates brain receptors that leads to a “high”. Some effects include:
- Altered senses and sense of time
- Mood changes
- Body movement problems
- Difficulty with and problem-solving
- Problematic memory
- Hallucinations and more
While there are obviously a number of short-term effects that can occur from using marijuana there are problematic long-term issues that can impact someone’s life.
Long-Term Effects
The use of marijuana can lead to long-term effects and can impact brain development. People will generally begin to use marijuana as teenagers. Unfortunately, this is a substance that can impair thinking and memory and can lead to issues with learning.
In one study, researchers at Duke University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and continued to use the drug lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13 and 38.
Moreover, people who quit using marijuana didn’t cause lost mental abilities to fully return to those people. However, those who started smoking marijuana as adults didn’t show notable IQ declines.
Physical Effects
Along with these issues, there are a number of physical effects that can occur from using marijuana.
Respiratory Problems — Smoking marijuana is something that obviously affects the lungs as the smoke goes there. The smoke is something that will irritate the lungs, similar to tobacco smoke. These problems can lead to a cough, and a higher chance of lung illness and infection. It should be noted that researchers haven’t found a higher risk for lung cancer in people who smoke marijuana.
Increased Heart Rate — Marijuana is something that causes the heart rate to rise. In fact, some estimates say that the heart rate will increase for up to three hours after smoking. This is something that can increase the risk of heart attack.
Pregnancy Problems — One of the biggest problems associated with marijuana use deals with pregnancy and child development. One study found that about one in five pregnant women 24-years-old and younger screened positive for marijuana. This can be problematic due to the risks associated with marijuana use. There are a number of concerns associated with using marijuana while pregnant. For one, it can increase both brain and behavioral problems in babies and can lead to an increased risk of problems related to attention, memory, and problem-solving compared to unexposed children.
Nausea and Vomiting — Long-term use of marijuana can cause regular cycles of severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. This can be a major issue can lead to emergency medical attention.
These are some of the many issues that can occur from using marijuana. Along with these problems, marijuana can also lead to issues related to substance abuse disorder. For some people marijuana use can lead to a dependence on the substance and cause addiction. For others, marijuana is the first contact with substances before moving on to harder things. While these are obviously not the only two outcomes of using marijuana, it is important to understand that marijuana use can lead to substance abuse problems.
For those who are struggling with issues related to addiction or substance abuse, alcohol and drug rehabs are always available to help people when they need it.
Drug Treatment In Indiana
If you are looking for a drug rehab in Indiana, there are a number of options that you can choose from, even if you are trying to be closer to the capital and search for Indianapolis rehab, you will need to know what to look for to better understand if the treatment facilities that you are looking into will be able to provide you or your loved one with the tools you need to overcome addiction.
For one, when looking for a facility you need to be sure that treatment programs that they have in place are going to provide your loved one with the best opportunity to succeed. To do this, you need to ensure that they are using a variety of evidence-based treatment methods that are proven to help people who are dealing with substance abuse.
Substance abuse and addiction are serious problems and it is something that is hard to overcome. In fact, nearly 50 percent of people who receive treatment will relapse. That’s why it is important to learn relapse prevention methods.
However, with that said, it is important to understand that relapse is a normal part of recovery and that patients and loved ones who relapse shouldn’t be ostracized.
Addiction is a disease needs to be treated like other diseases such as cancer. In order to conquer the affliction, patients need to go through advanced clinical care, including evidence-based treatment programs.
Science of Addiction
Addiction is not a choice. Many people mistakenly think that people who use drugs do it because they lack willpower or certain principles. However, in reality, addiction is a complex disease that can change the brain in ways that can make quitting hard. Learning more about what addiction is and how it begins and continues will help you better understand the issues that some people may be struggling with.
Despite the fact that addiction is a disease rather than a moral failing, many Americans still don’t fully understand this. Unfortunately, this issue contributes to the stigma that many people will feel regarding their substance abuse problems. This is actually one of the many things that impedes treatment. In fact, only about ten percent of people struggling with substance abuse seek out the treatment that they need to help them.
If you understand that your or your loved one has a substance use disorder it is important to overcome this stigma and reach out to get the help that you need. Whether the problem is opioids, alcohol, or marijuana, addiction is a serious problem that can interfere with a person’s ability to function properly in a social or professional setting and can impact physical and mental health.
Luckily, there are treatment centers that can help you. You just have to worry about finding the right one. That’s where we can help.
Next Steps
If you are looking for a drug and alcohol rehab center to help you or your loved one overcome substance abuse, Landmark Recovery is one treatment facility that can help you. Landmark is a treatment center that can offer patients access to a number of different therapy programs, both individual and group. Along with therapy programs like cognitive behavioral therapy and family counseling, Landmark can also offer patients access to a medically assisted detoxification program and a discharge plan to help patients receive the proper care that they need to overcome substance abuse and stay on the road to recovery.
If you are looking for an Indiana drug rehab or treatment center in Kentucky, Landmark Recovery has state-of-the-art facilities in place led my master’s-level clinicians to help give patients the highest chance of succeeding. At Landmark, our goal is to help one million families over the next 100 years. If you are looking to find help for yourself or your loved one, please reach out to our admissions staff today to learn more about how we can help.
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