Tallian argued that in the absence of marijuana legalization it is necessary to decriminalize marijuana possession, because Hoosiers should not face the risk of spending months or years in jail for partaking in a substance that's legal in many other states.

"Sometimes criminals are very bad people who do heinous crimes and we're afraid of them — mass murderers, violent sex offenders — and we put them in jail to keep the rest of us safe," Tallian said.

"But I suggest to you that the people who are using marijuana right now are not violent criminals; they're our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues."

Tallian also pointed to cigarettes and alcohol as legal substances that do far more damage to Hoosier lives than marijuana, and emphasized that marijuana prohibition has been as ineffective at stopping its use as alcohol Prohibition was during the 20th century.

"When you cannot go to jail in 30 or more other states, do we really need to keep doing this?" Tallian asked.

The committee's answer was yes.