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Bill Levin, founder of the Indianapolis Cannabis Church, has announced his intention to run for governor of Indiana. However, it will have to be nominated by the Libertarian Party, which seems feasible given that Levin had already obtained their support when he applied for a seat in the House of Representatives in 2014, where he received 11% of the vote. Asked by High Times about his motivation to become governor, Levin replied,
"It's very simple. It is love and human compassion against greed and selfishness. It's an easy victory. Our state needs love, compassion and good health for the moment."
Among his campaign proposals, there is the project of the legalization of cannabis. According to Levin, this project would have been realized long ago if the voting system of Indiana was different:
"If we had a referendum, we would have had legal cannabis 10 years ago." But for him the "Republican Party controls the state and no one speaks of referendum. When I am elected governor, the implementation of referendums is one of the things I will put forward. We will have it so that the citizens of this state can decide their future rather than the big companies that buy our politicians."
Its Cannabis Church, founded in 2015 following a law strengthening the principle of religious freedom, has several commandments, including "Do not be a jerk: treat everyone with love as an equal." The most important, however, is that cannabis is a sacred plant that "brings us closer to ourselves and others. It is our source of health, our love, that heals us from illness and depression. We embrace it with all our heart and mind, individually and in a group.
Members of this religious congregation are not allowed to use cannabis. Indeed, despite the principle of fundamental religious freedom in the United States, the justice refused in 2018 to exempt the Church of cannabis from the ban that applies in Indiana. Since then, Bill Levin has embarked on a "pro-marijuana political crusade," in the words of Attorney General Curtis Hill.