Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In
2014,
the
Iowa
Legislature
passed,
and
Gov.
Terry
Branstad
signed,
a
bill
giving
a
limited
class
of
individuals
with
intractable
epilepsy
and
their
caregivers
an
affirmative
and
complete
defense
to
any
state
criminal
charges
arising
out
of
their
use
or
possession
of
cannabidiol.
The
new
law1 prohibits
in-state
production
or
access
to
cannabidiol,
meaning
qualifying
patients
can
only
legally
obtain
their
medicine
from
out
of
state.
Because
the
law
only
applies
to
a
very
specific
type
of
marijuana
and
fails
to
provide
in-state
access,
MPP
does
not
consider
Iowa
a
medical
marijuana
state.
What
type
of
marijuana
does
the
law
apply
to?
The
law
protects
certain
patients
from
penalties
for
using
cannabidiol,
which
is
defined
as
a
nonpsychoactive
cannabinoid
in
the
plant
Cannabis
sativa
L.
or
Cannabis
indica
or
any
other
preparation
thereof
that
is
essentially
free
from
plant
material,
and
has
a
tetrahydrocannabinol
level
of
no
more
than
three
percent.
Who
qualifies
for
this
limited
program?
Permanent
residents
of
Iowa
with
intractable
epilepsy
that
has
not
been
responsive
to
other
treatment
options
if
their
neurologists
believe
that
no
other
satisfactory
alternative
treatment
options
exist
for
the
patients.
Can
minors
with
intractable
epilepsy
use
cannabidiol
under
this
law?
Yes.
Do
qualifying
patients
need
to
obtain
an
ID
card?
Yes,
in
order
to
be
allowed
to
raise
a
medical
necessity
defense
against
any
prosecution
for
using
or
possessing
cannabidiol,
a
qualifying
patient
must
have
an
ID
card
if
he
or
she
is
over
18.
If
the
qualifying
patient
is
under
18,
his
or
her
legal
guardian
must
be
in
possession
of
a
caregiver
card
in
order
to
use
the
affirmative
defense.
Who
will
produce
the
cannabidiol?
The
new
law
does
not
allow
for
the
in-state
production
or
manufacture
of
cannabidiol
or
extracts.
Qualifying
patients
would
have
to
travel
to
a
medical
marijuana
state
to
obtain
their
medicine
and
then
bring
it
back
to
Iowa
with
them.
Can
qualified
patients
grow
their
own
non-psychoactive
strains
of
marijuana
for
purposes
of
obtaining
cannabidiol?
No.
1
Available
online
at:
http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-
ICE/default.asp?Category=BillInfo&Service=Billbook&ga=85&hbill=SF2360