Rep. Kirchhofer works with State Police on controlled substance legislation

STATEHOUSE: Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer (R-Beech Grove) is pleased to see House Bill 1382 pass through the House today with a vote of 94-00. HB1382 will put Indiana under the same list that the federal government uses to recognize what is a controlled substance, adding 16 new compounds.

“There have been issues in the past due to discrepancies with what is considered controlled substances by the federal and state government.  The Indiana State police and I have worked together to give prosecutors the consistency needed in our state’s courts to recognize what is labeled a controlled substance,” said Rep. Kirchhofer.

HB1382 will put Indiana in line with the federal government’s scheduled controlled substances.  Currently, there are many cases where these substances are in question, but because they are usually small isolated incidents, the federal government decided not to use resources to pursue them.  This will allow Indiana to pursue those cases on a state level and make it consistent with the federal statute. 

HB1382 was passed with bipartisan support and was coauthored with Linda Lawson (D-Hammond).

“This legislation will give prosecutors in Indiana the ability to do their jobs without being hindered by the complication that stemmed from the differences between federal and state classifications,” said Rep. Kirchhofer.