– Few lawmakers expected the vote to be unanimous. But it was.In late January, the Indiana House of Representatives voted 93-0 to pass HB 1214, a bill that would legalize CBD oil for thousands of Hoosiers who say they desperately need it to treat their pain, seizures, Alzheimer’s Disease and other medical problems.It got plenty of support in the Senate, too, passing by a 3-to-1 margin. All it needs now is for a joint conference committee to work out some differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill, and then it’s off to the governor for his signature.Or so we thought. But this in Indiana, and Indiana politics is full of surprises.I caught up with the bill’s author Thursday afternoon and asked him, “Hey, what’s up with HB 1214?”Rep. Bill Friend (R-Macy) rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. He looked like someone who knew something he didn’t want to know.“It’s a veekel,” he said quietly.“A veekel?” I replied, pretending to understand what I thought the veteran lawmaker had told me in the noisy hallway outside a busy committee room.“Yes,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with CBD oil. Nothing. Not anymore.”At that moment, I realized what Friend had actually said: V-E-H-I-C-L-E. HB 1214 has been tagged by House leadership as a vehicle bill. The legislation that Friend carefully shepherded through multiple committee hearings and floor votes in the House and Senate to make CBD oil legal in the state of Indiana has lost its identity. It has lost its soul.Now only inches from crossing the finish line, the bill is about to undergo a metamorphosis right before our very eyes. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
Bill to legalize CBD oil in Indiana suddenly transformed into gun bill instead
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