Iowa Code Chapter 124E, the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act, lacks a section on compliance with existing federal law.
Cannabis is a federal schedule 1 controlled substance, and yet Iowa Code Chapter 124E doesn’t even mention it. Why?
In 2018, the Iowa Senate passed SF 2398 by a vote of 49-0. Section 6 is titled “Compliance with federal law.”
SF 2398 proves Iowa legislators know federal law exists, but the legislature failed to address federal law in Iowa Code Chapter 124E.
This causes numerous problems for patients and providers, some of which are documented in an Article from November 30, 2018, in the Des Moines Register.
This year is a perfect time to address the situation by stating clearly that Iowa is creating an exemption from existing federal schedule 1. Any law the state has a federal constitutional right to enact is a law the federal government must honor and respect.
Federal schedule 1 is only for substances that have no accepted medical use in the states. The legislature has created an accepted medical use for cannabis in Iowa.
This state protection under existing federal law doesn’t extend beyond the state’s borders, but it does provide Iowa patients and providers with the protection they need when being accused of violating federal law here in Iowa.
Please fix this broken law so the people it was intended to help do not needlessly suffer due to the state’s gross negligence to explain how it complies with existing federal law.
Carl Olsen