Iowa Board Approves Removal of THC Limits

The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board has approved a set of policy recommendations that include a proposal to remove the 3 percent cap on THC in medical cannabis products and replace it with a purchase limit of 4.5 grams of products containing THC over 90 days, the Associated Press reports. The limit would not apply to the terminally ill and could be increased without board approval by a certifying physician.

Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), vetoed legislation earlier this year that would have removed the THC cap and imposed a 25-gram purchase limit over 90 days. In a statement at the time of the veto, Reynolds said that change was “not recommended by the board,” adding that it would “drastically expand Iowa’s medical CBD program far beyond its original scope of CBD-based treatments and could open the door to significant unintended consequences to the health and safety of Iowans.”

The board also voted to add post-traumatic stress disorder and intellectual disability with aggression and/or self-injury to the state’s qualifying conditions list. According to Marijuana Policy Project data, 23 states currently allow PTSD patients to qualify for medical cannabis access.

The addition of qualifying conditions must be approved by the Iowa Board of Medicine who will set an effective date for the change if it is approved. The THC limits’ removal must be approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.