The 2017 Iowa Legislative Session ended early this morning. One of the last items on the House agenda was the medical marijuana bill that cleared at 6:10 a.m. By 7 a.m. the bill went to the Senate and was passed a short time later.
The bill expands a current law that will soon expire regarding the use of cannabis oil to treat chronic epilepsy. The updated version includes 15 debilitating conditions.
Lawmakers say it will take some time to implement as growing, manufacturing and distribution centers will have to be established. That process could take up to two years. The Department of Public Health will oversee those operations for cannabis oil.
The bill would allow physicians in Iowa to prescribe the oil to only Iowa residents. Lawmakers expanded the number of conditions to include cancer, AIDS, HIV, Crohn's disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis and for certain pain and terminal illness.