x
Breaking News
More () »

Iowa governor plans to legalize cannabis oil for limited use

Iowa’s governor said he plans to sign a bill legalizing cannabis oil in treating seizure disorders.

Iowa’s governor said he plans to sign a bill legalizing cannabis oil in treating seizure disorders.

KCRG reported that Governor Terry Branstad planned to sign Senate File 2360 during Memorial Day week. The bill allows the use of cannabis oil in limited circumstances.

Full bill text -- click here.

Branstad said what convinced him to sign the bill was his sympathy for families and their kids battling seizure disorders.

“I guess the Legislature and I were convinced, I think, by a lot of the families that have children that are epileptics and have these severe seizures, that this is something that can help them,” Branstad said during taping of Iowa Press Friday, May 23, 2014, according to KCRG.

Members of the Iowa Epilepsy Foundation were pleased with Branstad’s decision to sign the bill.

According to the report, the Legislative chairman of the foundation, Dale Todd, said the foundation appreciates Branstad’s “willingness to give those with epilepsy this option.”

“His signing will allow us to move forward with the discussions needed to make medical cannabis a feasible option for these patients,” said Todd.

Branstad said he wants to be “very careful” with who gets ahold of the cannabis oil and doesn’t want to see the drug used for other conditions.

“This legislation was very limited, very focused,” he said. “I think it would be a mistake to now expand it [to] a whole bunch of other things.”

The bill allows Iowa residents who have received a specific diagnosis by an Iowa neurologist to get the cannabis oil.

Before You Leave, Check This Out