Medical marijuana has finally made its legal entrance into Iowa’s culture with the legalization of cannabis oil on July 1, 2014 (Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act of 2014). In response, a new business venture here in Iowa has shown an interest in supplying this product, iCann: Reasonable Cannabis Solutions in Urbandale, Iowa. I talked briefly with one of the owners today and I’ll be talking with him again soon to get more details. In an email to Crystal Brunt, Iowa NORML Women’s Alliance, the company said it is attempting to work with legislators and patients. Two of the organizations mentioned in the email were Advocacy Strategies and the University of Iowa College of Medicine, both of which would be key resources for any business venture to be successful in Iowa. I’m still trying to understand the legal issues. A pharmaceutical product by the name of Epidiolex manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals is currently in phase 3 clinical trials in Iowa. What is important to understand is that the cannabis oil that has just been legalized here in Iowa is not Epidiolex, which explains why a company like iCann: Reasonable Cannabis Solutions would be interested in distributing it in Iowa. Cannabis oil has not been approved by the FDA and there is no sign the FDA will be considering it in the near future. One of the interesting developments is that Congress recently legalized the production of industrial hemp and industrial hemp has a high level of cannabidiol. So, although the FDA hasn’t approved it, it would appear that cannabis oil can actually be made from industrial hemp. The federal Agriculture Act of 2014, Section 7606, authorizes the production of hemp for both “agricultural or academic research”, so it appears that opens the door for cannabis oil production. Stay tuned for further developments.