Note: You can follow live coverage with IndyStar’s politics team Friday, Feb. 27, as the Indiana enters the final day of the legislative session.
Will Indiana ever pass a law decriminalizing marijuana?
Pat McAfee, host of the self-titled “Pat McAfee Show,” asked that very question to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who joined McAfee as a guest Thursday, Feb. 26, at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The two had been discussing a possible move by the Chicago Bears to northwest Indiana. Braun, that same day, signed a bill into law outlining a financial package to construct a new stadium for the Bears in Lake County.
From talk of football, McAfee segued into marijuana without naming it directly. He questioned Braun if the governor considered a move by the Bears to Indiana as a “get back” for all the money the host claimed he’d spent in Illinois, Michigan too.
“On what?” Braun asked.
“You know what I’m talking about,” McAfee smirked. “Gov., I think we should have that conversation next for the good of Indiana, do you not think?
Despite a move last year by the Trump Administration to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, Indiana hasn’t changed its laws to follow suit. Two bills doing just that at the 2026 legislative session — House Bill 1298, by Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, and House Bill 1191, by Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis — have gone nowhere.
Braun, in the past, has expressed an openness to medical marijuana, but deflected McAfee’s question, saying: “I think you ought to talk to the legislators about that.”
“You go with me,” replied McAfee.
“I may, I may,” answered Braun.
McAfee stressed marijuana was a potential moneymaker for the Hoosier State, praising Braun’s business acumen and suggesting marijuana legalization would make Indiana “a dream place to live.”
IndyStar statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer digital producer Scott Horner contributed.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.