Indiana Bans Michigan Marijuana Billboards at State Line

A new Indiana law is stirring the pot.

According to Indiana's WVPE law makers just passed the controversial bill which targets outdoor ads and mailing flyers from marijuana dispensaries. Here are the changes you can expect to see along state lines:

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Even living in Michigan, a state where marijuana has been legal in some form since 2008, I'll admit all the weed ads have become a bit obnoxious-- but isn't that all billboards?

Most of us travelers know that even when you cross the state line into Indiana, one of the few remaining states where marijuana is still illegal, the advertisements don't stop there. Actually, a large portion of Michigan marijuana sales come from Indiana residents crossing the border.

I mean, did you see the drone video of the dispensaries at the state line for the 4/20 holiday?!

Even if Indiana thinks its residents don't care about marijuana the numbers don't lie. So, why are legislators taking aim at nearby dispensaries? According to WVPE the billboard ban was spearheaded by Representatives Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) and Timothy Wessco (R-Osceola) and was,

...quietly tucked into an unrelated bill on Bureau of Motor Vehicles issues that passed and is now headed to Gov. Mike Braun for his signature.

Previous attempts to bar pot billboards in Indiana were rejected, however this time around the motion passed to include outdoor advertisements and dispensary flyers mailed to Indiana residents. We can all agree those flyers are super annoying, right?

When Will Changes Take Effect?

Don't expect to see these billboards wiped clean on your next commute! The new bill excludes exist contracts who are now grandfathered in. One Niles, Michigan dispensary owner, George Lynch of Green Stem, says his contracts are valid for the next decade telling WVPE,

My three billboards in Indiana have been grandfathered for 10 years so I'm not taking them down