Iowa

Board of Pharmacy hearings a resounding success

Last update: November 4, 2009

Iowa is one of the 37 states where patients still face arrest and prosecution for using marijuana to treat their suffering. Recently, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy decided to hold four hearings throughout the state, in order to determine whether or not it should recognize that marijuana has medicinal value. Now that the hearings are concluded, the Board of Pharmacy will make a recommendation to the legislature regarding the scheduling of marijuana and what further steps are necessary.

It is our job as patients, advocates and medical professionals to make sure that the board knows that there is broad-based support across Iowa for allowing seriously ill patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The hearings, on August 19 in Des Moines, September 2 in Mason City, October 7 in Iowa City, and November 4 in Council Bluffs, went very well. Doctors, patients, and advocates testified in favor of allowing medical marijuana, and established that there is broad-based support across Iowa for allowing seriously ill patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Almost no one spoke out in opposition. People also submitted written testimony to the board, and MPP's legislative analyst Noah Mamber testified by phone. Feel free to take a look at the Iowa Board of Pharmacy site. Iowa patients now await the board's recommendation with bated breath.

Legislation

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.