Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith answers questions at his sparsely attended town hall.
(Thomas Ouellette/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
In the face of a property tax relief bill and a dismal revenue forecast in April, some Democratic lawmakers suggested legalizing cannabis to earn more state tax revenue. But that idea never made it out of the Statehouse. The state’s lieutenant governor says it’s still not the right time for Indiana to legalize cannabis.
When asked about legalizing cannabis and its potential tax revenue at a sparsely attended town hall at a Muncie church, Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith said legislatorspushing for legalizationoften promise that the revenue will go towards improving things like roads and public education, but never really deliver on those claims.
“Okay, so you know how many schools Michigan’s built so far?” said Beckwith. “They’ve had it legalized now for almost 10 years, I think. Zero.”
According to thestate of Michigan, it legalized cannabis in 2018 and began state-licensed sales in December 2019. The K-12 education share goes to a School Aid Fund, which does not mandate schools build new buildings with the money. In total, Michigan officials say it netted $331 million in cannabis taxes in fiscal year 2024.
Beckwith said he agrees with other state lawmakers that want to wait until cannabis is legalizedat the federal level.
“They’re looking the other way,” he said. “But the question I have to you is, should we look the other way for federal law? I don’t think so.”
Religion at a Town Hall in a Church
While standing in a Baptist church in Muncie, Beckwith was asked about his Christian faith, which he speaks of often. When asked if he considers himself a Christian nationalist, Beckwith said, “I believe Christian nationalism for me is loving Christ and then stewarding Americaas a good American citizen.I think every Christian in every nation should be a Christian nationalist, in the sense thatGod’s placed them in that nation.”
Later in the evening, Beckwith added he believes the state should put the Ten Commandments on displayin schools. He said the ethics of the commandments are directly connected to the foundation of the nation’s laws.
He also claimed prohibiting classroom prayer in public schoolsin 1962is what has ultimately led to several societal challenges.
“Religion was first.We got rid of that in 1962.Then, morality went out the window,” he said. “Now, we have fights, we have murders, we have teen pregnancies, drug use, addiction, suicide, all this crap.”
Other National Questions
Town hall attendees also asked Beckwith about his opinion ondue processfor illegal immigrants. Beckwith replied, “Yes, in due process.Are you here legally?No, get out.That’s due process.” He continued,“Would you have given the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor due process rights when they were bombing Pearl Harbor?”
Beckwith will next hold a town hall in Zionsville.
