Indiana cannabis licensing, facility design and equipment.
Indiana cannabis has no commercial license as of Nov. 2026: no medical program, no adult use, no decriminalization. What exists is a hemp program under the Office of Indiana State Chemist and a low THC hemp extract law. Press reports say SB 250, the 2026 hemp THC bill, died at adjournment and a senator is drafting a 2027 medical bill.
No cannabis license exists; SB 250 hemp THC bill died March 2026, per press; 2027 medical bill in drafting
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Where Indiana is today
Indiana has no cannabis regulator because it has no cannabis program. The only licensed activity is hemp, run by the Office of Indiana State Chemist under IC 15-15-13, which licenses growers, handlers and seed producers and does not regulate finished retail products. Low THC hemp extract at or below 0.3% delta-9 THC is legal under IC 24-4-21; smokable hemp is not.
The 2026 fight was SB 250, which passed the Senate 35 to 13 on Jan. 28, 2026 and would have capped finished hemp products at 0.4 mg total THC per container from Nov. 12, 2026. Press reports say it died on the session's last day, so the introduced bill's Alcohol and Tobacco Commission permit structure never took effect. Compare Indiana with cannabis licensing in every state.
- May 2, 2019. SEA 516 creates the Indiana Hemp Act (IC 15-15-13); OISC licenses growers and handlers.
- Feb. 2025. HB 1630 (legalization), a decriminalization bill and medical proposals all die without a floor vote.
- Jan. 28, 2026. Senate passes SB 250, 35 to 13, to restrict hemp THC products.
- March 2026. SB 250 dies on the final day of session, per press reports, after a House committee stripped its permit provisions on Feb. 18, 2026.
- Jan. 2027. General Assembly convenes; Sen. Mike Bohacek plans to file a medical cannabis bill.
How to get a Indiana cannabis license
- Watch two bills in 2027. A refiled hemp THC bill after SB 250 and Sen. Bohacek's medical cannabis bill.
- Hold an OISC handler license if extraction is the plan; it covers processing and would be the natural first applicant pool for a medical program.
- Build next door. Michigan, Illinois and Ohio run adult use markets; see Missouri cannabis licensing for a Midwest market with a live hub.
- Prepare the facility plan. A facility design on paper means day one of a program is not day one of design.
- Pick your starting point. Dispensary plans: cannabis financial modeling for a future medical license. Cultivation and processing plans: facility design for new licenses or a hemp extraction suite today.
What the state issues, and what each one needs built
- Cannabis: none. Indiana issues no medical or adult use license, and no legalization, decriminalization or medical bill passed in 2025 or 2026.
- Hemp grower (OISC). Covers field, greenhouse or enclosed facility production including clones; key participants pass a background check dated within 60 days of filing; crop limit 0.3% THC. In 2024 OISC held 24 grower and 8 grower/handler licenses on about 718 acres and 79,300 sq ft indoors. Fee: up to $1,000 a year, nonrefundable, under the hemp rule in OISC's state plan; licenses expire Dec. 31.
- Hemp handler (OISC). Covers processing, drying and transporting for others; 22 handler licenses in 2024. A separate agricultural hemp seed production license exists. Fee: up to $1,000, or up to $2,000 for grower and handler licenses held together.
What a Indiana facility costs to design and build.
Indiana's average commercial electricity price was 13.70 cents per kWh in 2025 against a 13.37 cent U.S. average, per EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10. Humid summers put dehumidification at the top of the load calculation. If a program opens, an indoor build runs $150 to $500+ per sq ft, so 10,000 sq ft is $1.5 million to $5 million or more, with design in 30 to 60 days and construction 3 to 6 months after permits.
Indiana specifics
Hemp testing. OISC samples crops against the 0.3% THC limit; a crop above it is treated as marijuana. OISC does not test finished products.
Hemp THC products. No per-serving cap exists. SB 250 would have set 0.4 mg total THC per container, defined hemp by total THC including THCA and barred under-21 entry to stores where THC and tobacco are 85% of sales; it failed in March 2026 and is expected back in 2027.
Fire code. Indiana adopts its own fire code through the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission; confirm the edition it enforces before designing a solvent extraction room.
| Topic | Indiana rule | Design response |
|---|---|---|
| Hemp extraction | OISC handler license; product at or below 0.3% delta-9 THC | Ethanol line with Buchi rotary evaporators and Pope Scientific distillation for remediation |
| Hemp testing | OISC crop sampling at 0.3% THC; no state product testing | In-house potency screen on Orange Photonics before shipment |
| Fire code | Indiana Fire Code via the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission | C1D1 room drawn before the lease |
| A future program | SB 250 (2026) as introduced shows the model: total THC definitions, 21 and over, state permits | Sealed rooms with HVAC sized for humid summers |
What the same work did for an operator like you
What a Indiana applicant gets from the design desk.
- A compliance review of a hemp handler plan against IC 15-15-13 and IC 24-4-21
- Facility design for an extraction suite that converts to medical processing if Indiana opens a program
- A facility design package in 30 to 60 days for a build in a neighboring licensed state
- Equipment from our extraction equipment guide
Indiana questions
Is marijuana legal in Indiana?
No. Indiana has no medical or adult use program and has not decriminalized. Legalization, decriminalization and medical bills died in 2025 and 2026. Hemp and low THC hemp extract at or below 0.3% delta-9 THC are legal; smokable hemp is not.
Can I open a dispensary in Indiana?
No license exists, so an operator who wants to sell cannabis now has to build in a neighboring market: Michigan, Illinois, Ohio or Missouri. Hemp retail needs no state license today, and the SB 250 permit structure for hemp THC products was stripped in committee before the bill died.
Does Indiana have medical marijuana in 2026?
No. Sen. Mike Bohacek is drafting a medical bill for the 2027 session with a tax structure and no recreational use, and Gov. Mike Braun said in April 2026 he is open to the discussion. The Indiana Board of Pharmacy reviewed the federal rescheduling notice in May 2026 and took no action.
Can I get an Indiana hemp license?
Yes, through the Office of Indiana State Chemist at hemp.oisc.purdue.edu: grower, handler or seed producer, with a background check for each key participant dated within 60 days. OISC held 54 licenses in 2024 across 41 counties. Each license costs up to $1,000 and expires Dec. 31.
Where the Indiana rules on this page come from
- Office of Indiana State Chemist: Hemp, license types, background checks, scope
- OISC 2024 Hemp Report, 54 licenses, acreage and indoor square footage
- Indiana hemp plan, State Seed Commissioner rule LSA 21-350(E), license fee cap and Dec. 31 expiration
- Engrossed SB 250 (2026), Senate vote 35 to 13, 0.4 mg per container, Nov. 12, 2026 effective date
- Indiana Court Times: SB 250 committee action, Feb. 18, 2026, permit provisions removed, 8 to 5 vote
- WFYI, March 5, 2026, SB 250 dies on the final day
- Indiana Capital Chronicle, May 12, 2026, Bohacek 2027 medical bill, Board of Pharmacy review
- EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10 (2025), commercial electricity price by state
Regulator: Office of Indiana State Chemist, Hemp Program (no cannabis regulator). Last reviewed November 7, 2026.
Record last reviewed