Candidates for Governor 2018

April 28, 2018

Dear Can­di­dates for Gov­er­nor of Iowa,

In 2017, the Iowa leg­is­la­ture autho­rized large-scale mar­i­jua­na cul­ti­va­tion in our state for the pur­pose of mak­ing cannabid­i­ol prod­ucts, the Med­ical Cannabid­i­ol Act of 2017, H.F. 524 (Acts Chap­ter 162, 87th Gen­er­al Assem­bly, 1st Ses­sion).

Cul­ti­va­tion of mar­i­jua­na is a fed­er­al crime.  The fed­er­al penal­ty for cul­ti­va­tion of 1,000 or more mar­i­jua­na plants is 10 years to life in fed­er­al prison and fines of up to $50 mil­lion.  21 U.S.C. § 841 (2018).  Fed­er­al law also autho­rizes the death penal­ty based sole­ly on the quan­ti­ty of mar­i­jua­na even in the absence of any accom­pa­ny­ing vio­lent crime.  18 U.S.C. § 3591(b)(1) (2018).

If our state has no con­sti­tu­tion­al right to autho­rize cul­ti­va­tion of mar­i­jua­na in Iowa, we are autho­riz­ing a fed­er­al con­tin­u­ing crim­i­nal enter­prise here in our state.  21 U.S.C. § 848 (2018).

Promi­nent state leg­is­la­tors, both Demo­c­rat and Repub­li­can, have made pub­lic state­ments declar­ing that Iowa is open­ly vio­lat­ing fed­er­al law by enact­ing leg­is­la­tion they vot­ed for.  Forty-six (46) states have enact­ed med­ical mar­i­jua­na laws since 1996.  This has tak­en on the mag­ni­tude of a con­sti­tu­tion­al cri­sis.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Thank you!

Carl Olsen
515–343‑9933
carl@carl-olsen.com

Here’s how much mar­i­jua­na you’d need to be eli­gi­ble for the death penal­ty under fed­er­al law