Iowa lawmakers have sent the governor legislation that would double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries that are allowed to operate in the state.
Under current law, Iowa’s limited medical marijuana program allows only five dispensaries. That would double to 10 under HF 990, which was approved by the House of Representatives in an 88-5 vote last month and previously cleared the Senate in a tally of 42-5.
The bill is now before Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), who can sign or veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature.
Bridget Spiddle, public policy and communications coordinator for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), wrote in an action alert to supporters that the reform “would be a vital step in expanding medical cannabis access for one of the most restrictive medical cannabis programs in the country.”
“No other medication gets treated like cannabis does. Pharmacies are widely accessible throughout Iowa, while dispensaries are capped at five locations for thousands of patients,” she said. “Rural Iowans have to expend enormous amounts of time and resources on costly travel to receive their medicine.”
In addition to doubling the dispensary allowance, the proposal before the governor would also allow out-of-state residents to register
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