Iowa Senate Approves Bills to Add Age Restriction for THC-Hemp Products, Double Medical Cannabis Licenses

The Iowa Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to impose an age threshold of 21 for consumable hemp products containing THC, We Are Iowa reports. The measure also includes 4 milligram THC serving limit caps, with limits of 10 milligrams per container.

State Sen. Dan Dawson (R) argued during the bill debate that the limits are necessary because products available in the state under the Iowa Hemp Act need “to be at a milligram usage less than our medical cannabidiol program, otherwise the lines are blurred.”

The legislation passed the House last month and moves next to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The chamber also passed a bill to double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries in the state from five to 10, which state Sen. Scott Webster (R) said would “be beneficial to prices” for medical cannabis products and that the state’s licensed businesses “can scale better by having more and more licenses.”

The measure was seemingly opposed by Bud & Mary’s group president Lucas Nelson, whose company holds one of the five dispensary licenses, who noted that patient numbers in Iowa are declining as nearby states are moving forward, or have already moved forward, with adult-use programs.

That bill moves next to the House.