Indiana Police Chief On Marijuana: 'I Would Legalize It And Tax It'

After spending 40-plus years trying to enforce marijuana laws, Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell said Tuesday he'd like to see weed legalized.

Asked about the drug during a committee meeting, Whitesell told the State Budget Committee he thinks weed should be taxed and regulated, according to reports from radio station WFPL:

It's here, it's going to stay, there’s an awful lot of victimization that goes with it. If it were up to me, I do believe I would legalize it and tax it, particularly in sight of the fact that several other states have now come to that part of their legal system as well.

Wherein if you are going to imbibe, you would go through there to be recognized or pay your taxes and keep some sense of it, give us some stats so you could monitor it in some fashion. And if you go around it in some other place, that’s where my folks would come in and take issue.

The comments come after Colorado and Washington state legalized marijuana for recreational use, and as word spreads that Indiana legislators may introduce medical marijuana legislation of their own. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 18 states and the District of Columbia.