The state of Iowa is currently housing the five medical cannabis dispensaries. These medical marijuana dispensaries were authorized under a bill passed in March 2018, and it allows the sale of certain cannabis-infused products to people suffering from qualifying conditions such as chronic pain, side effects of cancer, seizures, ALS, anxiety, MS and more.
Omaha World-Herald has stated that about 500 residents in Iowa have gotten their medical marijuana cards which further permits them to purchase three types of medical cannabidiol (CBD) including gel capsules, tinctures, and creams. According to an employee of Have A Heart Compassion Care and a former barbecue-restaurant-turned-dispensary, Charley Wells, in Council Bluffs situated beside the Iowa-Nebraska border, the declaration is expected to increase traffic as Iowans get to know about the medicinal benefits of medical cannabis.
Charley Wells also said that “more and more, the awareness of marijuana-infused products is getting lifted and people are getting excited,”
According to Sarah Reisetter, a public health official in Iowa, as the December 1 opening date approached the number of applications increased. Many patients have complained of chronic pain as the main reason for utilizing medical marijuana compounds. Omaha World-Herald has stated that doctors don’t prescribe or recommend the products,” however, they instead certify the eligibility of the patient based on their medical conditions.
About 300 doctors have certified patients, and one of the largest healthcare providers of the state reported to the newspaper that doctors will play a significant role in determining whether to approve patients or not.
But those similar stated that their policies based on health system are in line with the federal law when it concerns the practice of medicine.
These defying declarations are not surprising since the medical cannabis program of Iowa State is still at its infant stage.
The border town will be opening two dispensaries with “Have A Heart” being among one of the two dispensaries. Iowa State is neighbored by various states that lack access to medical marijuana programs such as neighboring Nebraska, whose attorney general has openly declared his dislike for any form of cannabis legalization.
Even though the state of Nebraska disallows the use of medical cannabis in a single drug, the recently opened Iowan dispensaries are a clear reminder of the lack of freedom by Nebraskans in contrast to their neighbors in the west; a profitable relationship that occurred when the Hawkeye State was given the permission to gamble 10 years ago legally. Except, the laws in both Nebraska and Iowa ban travelers from traveling to another state with the possession of marijuana. Thus the people of Nebraska can climb the river to gamble, and they are not permitted to receive cannabis-infused products from their 420-friendly neighbor.
Is the state Nebraska in the horizon of legalizing cannabis legalization? As it stands, there is a small probability. According to research conducted in a local university in Nebraska, an agreement to get legalization on the ballot in 2018 was not successfully passed in the state’s legislature, reports the Omaha World-Herald.
