The Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council wants the state drug commission and drug czar to formally oppose marijuana legalization in any form. The group sent a letter to the Commission to Combat Drug Abuse this week.

The council says marijuana legalization would be bad for workforce development and community health.

Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Association executive director David Powell says he wants the Commission to Combat Drug Abuse to have what he calls an “honest conversation” about marijuana, and take into account what other states have experienced.

“They at least ought to have a frank and open discussion about what’s really happening in the states where it’s medicine,” Powell says. “Call in people from those states. Look at the real data and the statistics and what the events are and then have a frank discussion about – do we want Indiana to be like that?”

Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) pledged this year to explore legislation that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Powell wants the Commission to Combat Drug Abuse to make a stance.

“Candidly, it bothers me that we seem more interested in giving people guns and pot than we do jobs and education,” Powell says.

The Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse will meet on Thursday to discuss Indiana’s drug epidemic.