Iowa

Help needed to protect Iowa's medical marijuana patients

Last update: May 7, 2009

Iowa is one of the 37 states where patients still face arrest and prosecution for using marijuana to treat their suffering. Thirteen states have created compassionate exceptions to allow medical marijuana, and it's time for Iowa to join the growing consensus for compassion.

Senator Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) stepped up for patients and introduced S.F. 293, legislation that would protect medical marijuana patients from criminal sanctions and create non-profit compassion centers that can distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients. On March 10, the Senate Human Resources Subcommittee held a meeting and heard riveting testimony on the bill, and now we need your help to build support for this issue in the House and Senate for next year. Legislators need to know that their constituents care about this issue.

The meeting started a long-overdue discussion, garnering great press coverage.

Here's what you can do so help:

Please send your state legislators an e-mail today letting them know that you hope to see a bill introduced next year that will provide medical marijuana patients with the protection they need.
Sign up for free legislative alerts.
If you are a patient who could benefit from medical marijuana for a serious illness or injury or a supportive medical professional, please send an e-mail to state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help. Please include your address or nine-digit ZIP code so we can check who represents you.
E-mail state@mpp.org for sign up sheets and information to pass out in your community, and to find out about other ways you can help. We need more compassionate Iowans to be involved to move this issue forward.
Ask your local radio stations to run the medical marijuana public service ads that can be downloaded here.