Iowa

A federal judge has denied an injunction brought by a group of hemp companies against the Iowa law regulating hemp products and imposing THC caps on the products.

New Iowa hemp regulations restricting the sale and potency of consumable hemp products took effect on Wednesday. The rules are in place despite a federal lawsuit brought by a group of hemp companies seeking to block it.

A group of Iowa hemp companies is suing to block the implementation of a new state law restricting THC content in consumable hemp products.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has signed a bill imposing THC caps on cannabinoid-infused hemp products, limiting THC content to 4 milligrams per serving and 10 milligrams per container.

The Iowa Senate this week sent a bill to the governor that would limit hemp-derived THC products to individuals aged 21+, and sent another bill to the House that would double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries in the state from 5 to 10.

Iowa’s Democratic state lawmakers have unveiled — but stopped short of formally introducing — their proposal to legalize cannabis for adult use.

Iowa medical cannabis sales exceeded $10 million in 2022; there are currently about 15,000 active patient cardholders in the state.

Iowa Democrats included adult-use cannabis legalization in their campaign platform for the upcoming November elections.

Rick Stewart, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in Iowa, called out Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in a recent campaign ad over her position against cannabis legalization. 

Iowa Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic bid to add an adult-use cannabis provision to a bill concerning heroin penalties.

Democratic Iowa state senators have called for a constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds opposes the plan.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Chapter at Iowa State University (ISU) is collecting signatures for a letter supporting adult-use cannabis legalization in the state.

Iowa cannabis advocate Carl Olsen is suing Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) over the state’s delay in allowing medical cannabis use at long-term care facilities, which was mandated under the state’s medical cannabis legalization bill.

The ‘Your CBD Store’ shops in Iowa have finally reopened following the 2019 arrest of owner Lacie Navin for hemp-related drug charges.

A new Marijuana Diversion Program in Linn County, Iowa aims to prevent criminal records for first-time offenders caught with “a user quantity amount” of cannabis.

Iowa’s Senate has approved expansions to the state’s medical cannabis program; the bill is now headed to the governor’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.

After two of the state’s five dispensaries recently shuttered without warning, Iowa regulators now say it will take a year or more to license new businesses in their place.

Two of Iowa’s five licensed medical cannabis dispensaries were abruptly shut down without explanation from their operator nor state health officials, who said they will work to license two new retailers.

The USDA has approved Iowa’s proposed industrial hemp plan; state officials, however, have specified that the program does not legalize the CBD industry.

A recent Iowa poll found for the first time ever that a majority of Iowans, 53 percent, would support the statewide legalization of adult-use cannabis.

Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill from the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Safety that would expand the state’s medical cannabis program to include THC-rich products.

The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board has approved language recommending the removal of the state’s 3 percent cap on THC in medical cannabis products. Instead, the board suggests a purchase limit of 4.5 grams of THC products over 90 days.

The bill, which passed 96-3 in the House and 40-7 in the Senate, would have expanded multiple aspects of Iowa’s limited medical cannabis program.

Iowa is the latest state to adopt hemp legalization language now that the crop has been federally legalized. Gov. Kim Reynolds warned, however, that the measure “does not legalize” the manufacturing or sales of CBD products.