Medical cannabis products went on sale in Iowa over the weekend, marking the launch of the nation’s latest — albeit limited — cannabis product marketplace, The Associated Press reports.
Iowa’s medical cannabis rules are particularly stringent about what patients are allowed to do and use. The program is also unique in that it only allows for CBD-rich products — note: while some THC is allowed, the Iowa program caps any THC content at just three percent.
“I think the biggest thing that people should realize, and one of the things that’s kind of confusing, is that the products available in these dispensaries are not what most people think about when they think about marijuana — there won’t be smoking products, there won’t be joints, there won’t be edibles.” — Sarah Reisetter, Deputy Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, via the AP
Currently, the products in Iowa’s cannabis market are manufactured by MedPharm Iowa, who supplies dispensaries in Council Bluffs, Davenport, Sioux City, Windsor Heights, and Waterloo. Under state law, only two CBD product manufacturers are allowed.
The program was established via the 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act, which allows patients to purchase medical CBD products from a licensed dispensary if they suffer from one of the following qualifying conditions: cancer, seizures, Crohn’s disease, “untreatable” pain, multiple cclerosis, AIDS or HIV, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, or any terminal illness with a probably life expectancy of less than one year.