Whether the state should permit more medical marijuana dispensaries in Iowa, and whether THC-infused drinks should be added to the state’s open container law, are subjects of legislation being considered by state lawmakers.
Iowa legislators this week advanced a proposal that would expand the state’s medical marijuana program by possibly doubling the number of authorized dispensaries in Iowa — from five to as many as 10.
Each licenseholder would be allowed to operate up to three dispensaries in the state, although lawmakers said they may remove that cap from the bill.
The bill,
Senate File 46, earned unanimous approval Thursday from a three-member Iowa Senate subcommittee. The proposal is now eligible for consideration by the full Senate Commerce Committee.
Lawmakers in support of the bill said the state needs to expand access to medical cannabis for Iowans. With the current cap on five licenses, some Iowa patients must travel for hours to purchase from a dispensary.
Two companies operate the five current dispensaries in the state. Iowa Cannabis Company has dispensaries in Waterloo, Iowa City and Council Bluffs; Bud & Mary’s has dispensaries in Windsor Heights and Sioux City.
The Iowa Cannabis Company opposed the proposed addition of more licenses. David Adelman, a lobbyist, raised concerns about the ability of the medical cannabis program being able to support additional dispensaries.
Adelman also told lawmakers the provision prohibiting a company from holding more than three licenses would impede their ability to compete.
“We believe, frankly, the program isn’t sustainable for added licenses,” Adelman said. “… If you're looking to expand or to create more efficiencies or more productivity with the program, we believe there's different ways, but we think that there are some significant flaws in this piece of legislation.”
Logan Murray, a lobbyist representing Greenleaf Cannabis, said more dispensaries are needed in Iowa to improve access to medical cannabis.
“This program started in 2017, and since 2020 the medical cannabis oil board has made recommendations to look at the licensing and make some changes to it,” Murray said. “We see that these numbers have stagnated, and we think more opportunities with different dispensaries will allow more Iowans to gain access to this program.”
Sen. Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf, recommended moving the bill forward with an amendment striking the language limiting a license holder to three dispensaries in Iowa.
“I don’t think the dispensaries need to necessarily be restricted to only having three themselves so they have the availability to compete in that same marketplace,” Webster said.
He added that medical cannabis is heavily regulated and has proved benefits for various medical conditions.
“So I continue to be a supporter of it,” Webster said.
Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights and leader of House Democrats, said she wants to examine any proposals to expand the number of dispensary licenses to make sure any legislation would have no “unintended consequences.”
Konfrst told reporters Thursday she is in favor of expanding access to Iowans who wish to use the program, but also wants to ensure existing businesses are not injured by any legislation.
Broader reforms needed, advocates say
Dane Schumann, a lobbyist for MedPharm Iowa — whose dispensaries and cultivation facilities have been renamed as Bud & Mary's — expressed a need for broader reforms to the state program.
Iowans who rely on medical cannabis to treat various medical conditions for years have pushed lawmakers to expand the program and lift limitations on the potency and type of medical cannabis products that eligible patients can obtain to make it more effective.
“We’re not opposed to the concept of there being more dispensary locations in the state,” Schumann told lawmakers. “… But without fixing broader, deeper reforms to the medical cannabis program, we’re not convinced that a lot of these new dispensaries, at least, would be able to survive in the environment that we have in the state.”
Iowans often travel to surrounding Midwestern states that have expanded medical marijuana programs and legalized recreational use of marijuana.
House File 105, introduced by Rep. Hans Wilz, a Republican from Ottumwa, would add vaporized flower to the list of legal forms of medical cannabis available in Iowa. The current program is limited to synthetic forms that must be processed down to an oil, which can be an expensive undertaking.
Allowing vaporized flower would provide a less expensive alternative for patients with legitimate medical needs who have been prescribed cannabis, Wilz said.
The broader goal of the bill, he said, is to start a conversation and ensure the medical cannabis program is robust and serving the needs of Iowans, particularly those with cancer and other serious conditions.
Wilz’s bill is scheduled for a subcommittee hearing Monday morning.
Bill: THC drinks should be added to open container law
Drinks infused with THC would be added to the state law that prohibits open containers of alcoholic beverages in vehicles under legislation advancing in the Iowa House.
House Study Bill 29, was proposed by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. No opposition to the bill was expressed during a subcommittee hearing Wednesday, and all three members of the legislative panel supported advancing it to the full Iowa House Public Safety Committee.
“They’re an impairing drink so it makes sense that it would just be added to the open container law,” Rep. Zach Dieken, R-Granville, said after the hearing. “(Individuals) just can’t drink and drive.”
Bills proposed in the Iowa Legislature would increase the number of dispensaries in the state and add to the legal forms of medical cannabis
www.thegazette.com
