EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -

Several organizations held a vigil Saturday to remember people who have died from illnesses, because they weren't able to use marijuana as treatment.

The event, called Light Up the Night and Spark the Truth, was hosted by members of the Southern Indiana and Kentucky Chapters of The International Women's Cannabis Coalition.

The event included a candlelight vigil, speakers, and musicians.

Dana Arvidson says she attended to remember her father-in-law who died from colon cancer. She says she came across a report that says marijuana has been known to prevent and cure colon cancer.

INDIANAPOLIS – Concerned that lawmakers will act hastily in allowing the medicinal use of a marijuana extract, prosecutors are calling for more research into a controversial treatment.

At a four-hour hearing Wednesday, officials with the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council urged a legislative committee to abandon efforts to legalize cannabidiol -- a non-psychoactive marijuana extract – until more mainstream science weighs in.

“As prosecutors, we think we need to base decisions on evidence,” said Aaron Negengard, the prosecuting attorney for Dearborn and Ohio counties, who told lawmakers it would be “reckless and careless” to follow other states that have allowed use of cannabidiol with little regulation.

Ball State's NORML chapter meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Whitinger Business Building.

Andrew Maternowski, a criminal defense attorney and a member of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML) legal committee, spoke on campus Sept. 17 about legal matters concerning marijuana. 

Maternowski, an Indianapolis-based lawyer, said the most important thing for students interested in enacting change is to be aware of the laws surrounding marijuana usage.

"If you're going to [use marijuana], do it responsibly. What doesn't help the movement is doing stupid s—t," Maternowski said. "You can't be part of the fight when you're sitting in the county jail."

Indianapolis, IN — On Wednesday, the Indiana State Police announced that they have raided 146 marijuana grow plots throughout the southern region of the state.

In an unprecedented show of force, officers from the Indiana State Police, the Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, Civil Air Patrol, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and local agencies, authorities seized thousands of marijuana plants.

I occasionally enjoy smoking weed. I was also raised in a pretty buttoned up Catholic home, though I'm not really sure where my "faith" is these days. I do, however, enjoy learning about new "organized" religions. So when I learned that there was a new church in Indiana that used marijuana as a "sacrament," I was more than a little curious. And I had a million questions. 

Why does this church exist? Is it because people have exhausted their unheard prayers on the more traditional religions? Is it because the Bible belt of Indiana has asphyxiated the level-headed lungs of Indiana, and this is a cry for help? Or is it a clever protest-slash-manipulation of a law poised to protect religious freedoms but contained a subtle veil of discrimination?

I struggle with the issue of legalization of marijuana, knowing what I know as a physician, but understanding the problems associated with its continued status as an illegal drug. For now, permit me to discuss medical marijuana, its potential medical uses, and suggest one change in federal regulation.

The tide has turned in America regarding attitudes toward marijuana. Medical marijuana is now legal in 23 states, and in the near future, medical marijuana will be legal in the majority of states. Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use; more than 14 states are now considering legalization of medical or recreational marijuana.

Bill Levin: First Church of Cannabis

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A pot-smoking church is suing the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana, claiming laws against possession and use of marijuana infringe on its religious beliefs.

The First Church of Cannabis was formed as a test of Indiana’s new religious objections law. The church filed its lawsuit Wednesday in Marion Circuit Court. The defendants include Gov. Mike Pence and law enforcement officers.

The lawsuit claims church members believe marijuana “brings us closer to ourselves and others.”

There was no marijuana during the church’s first service July 1, which was observed by more than 20 police officers. Local officials had threatened arrests if marijuana was present.

Legal experts question whether church can overcome hurdles in challenging Indiana's marijuana laws.

By filing its highly anticipated religious liberty claim Wednesday, the First Church of Cannabis has put the question everyone's been wondering about in the hands of the court:

Is this a real religion?

And does it have a protected right to practice legitimate beliefs?

Some legal experts remain skeptical that the cannabis church's challenge of Indiana's marijuana laws will survive for long in front of a judge. But the case focuses on — if a bit unusually — some of the weighty complexities of religious liberty claims and raises lingering questions over how Indiana's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act can and can't be used.

INDIANAPOLIS –  A pot-smoking church sued the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana on Wednesday, claiming laws against possession and use of marijuana infringe on its religious beliefs.

The First Church of Cannabis, formed as a test of Indiana's new religious objections law, filed its lawsuit in Marion Circuit Court in Indianapolis, naming multiple defendants including Gov. Mike Pence and state and local law enforcement officers.

The lawsuit claims church members believe marijuana is a sacrament that "brings us closer to ourselves and others. It is our fountain of health, our love, curing us from illness and depression. We embrace it with our whole heart and spirit, individually and as a group."