Where To Buy CBD Oil In Iowa
So you have heard about the many benefits of CBD oil?
Maybe that’s the therapeutic benefits for Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or how it supports mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or insomnia?
While it certainly can help with these things, CBD oil is also exploited in many ways.
That’s why some states have banned it.
If you’re reading this, then chances are you live in Iowa and aren’t sure if you can buy and use CBD legally.
In this article, we will be answering ‘is CBD oil legal in Iowa’ and what this means for you.
What is CBD Oil?
Cannabidiol is extracted from the marijuana plants exhibiting numerous health benefits like reducing anxiety and inflammation.
CBD oil contains CBD extract and an oil such as coconut oil. Therefore, it possesses similar medical uses.
Nevertheless, the FDA has approved only one CBD treatment for epilepsy, known as Epidiolex.
Is CBD Oil Legal in Iowa?
CBD is still classified among controlled substances as per Iowa laws.
Therefore, CBD products are illegal in Iowa apart from the patients passing Iowa’s medical cannabidiol program.
The public has been made clear on the illegality of the CBD under Iowa state law when Attorney General Thomas Miller released a declaration in May 2020 on CBD products and hemp plants.
The Federal Controlled Substances Act defined Schedule I drugs in 1970.
Therefore, these drugs have a high possibility of exploitation without any recognized medical use.
Marijuana, hemp, and other cannabis plants were included in this Iowa law.
Legality Of Hemp Products
Industrial hemp has been readdressed in the 2018 Farm Bill.
The Bill has eliminated it from the previous category and permitted hemp’s cultivation, growth, and production.
According to the new definition, hemp products were authorized under federal law only if the products contained less than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis.
A revision of the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act or HF 524 was passed by Former Gov. Terry Branstad in 2017, sanctioning the utilization of medical CBD.
The Farm Bill also made the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States supervise the labeling of CBD products.
Though we have such laws at the federal level, hemp products are only authorized to certain citizens in Iowa.
Iowa CBD Laws
The Iowa legislature approved the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act or Senate File (SF) 2360 in 2014.
According to this law, Iowa residents with obdurate epilepsy were permitted to employ CBD products containing less than 0.3% THC content.
Though there was a law, Iowans couldn’t buy CBD within the state of Iowa, making CBD Oil legal in Iowa.
The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act
A revision of the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act or HF 524 was passed by Former Gov. Terry Branstad in 2017, sanctioning the utilization of medical CBD.
The law allowed the framework development to monitor CBD sales and production.
These processes were under the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) supervision.
Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) also received permission to release a medical cannabidiol registration card for authorized Iowa patients.
Patients having this card got legal rights for the possession of CBD products from accredited dispensaries in Iowa.
Iowa Hemp Act (SF 599)
The Iowa Hemp Act or Senate File (SF) 599 was approved in 2019 by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) got the task of outlining a program for industrial hemp through this act.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) allowed IDALS by endorsing this act to supervise the CBD and hemp product management within the state.
Keep reading to find out if CBD Oil is legal in Iowa.
House File 2589
Iowa’s Medical Cannabidiol Program underwent further alterations on HF 2589 afterward. Governor Reynolds sanctioned the decree on 29th June 2020 and implemented it on 1st July 2020.
According to this act, the restriction on the amount of THC was withdrawn and swapped with 4.5g THC acquisition for 90 days.
The act only allowed the incurably ill patients and those authorized by the health experts to take extra THC.
Other alterations involve the addition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In addition, the medical conditions requiring CBD were readdressed from untreatable to chronic pain.
This act also transferred the charge of distributing the registration card to IDPH.
Iowa CBD Licenses
The cultivators and farmers need to apply for an Iowa hemp license to cultivate it within the state according to IDALS Hemp Law.
However, this commercial hemp production program didn’t authorize CBD consumption.
People linked to the hemp industry need to give their fingerprints while applying for a license.
License Fees
They also have to pay a license application fee while submitting applications varying upon the area required for cultivation.
For example, the license fee is $500 for 0-5 acres and $5 per acre, while the inspection fee is $1000.
MedPharm Iowa
Currently, only one producer, MedPharm Iowa, is authorized to cultivate hemp and offers CBD products to the approved patients.
However, you can buy CBD from one of the five sanctioned dispensaries of MedPharm Iowa if you’re a registered patient.
Moreover, IDPH doesn’t recognize new requests for production and dispensary accreditation.
Prerequisites for CBD Analysis
Laboratories must develop autonomous analysis methods at the state level and device standard operating procedures (SOPs) to test CBD products for;
- Microbial contamination
- Heavy metals
- Cannabinoids
- Residual solvents
- Pesticides
- Processing chemicals
According to Iowa’s Hemp Law, the hemp license holder must send a pre-harvest notice to the IDALS (Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship), other than the sampling fee by issuing a form 30 days before harvesting.
The IDALS arrange a sampling appointment after receiving the pre-harvest notification.
The permitted agent then joins the IDALS inspector at the crop site to harvest official samples.
CBD Sale Management
As you’ve got the answer to your question, is CBD legal in Iowa which is no.
You must be aware of the management of CBD sales in Iowa.
IDPH (Iowa Department of Public Health) has sanctioned five dispensaries to sell medical cannabidiol products to registered patients.
However, unauthorized sale of CBD or its products is liable to punishment under the law, with penalties varying with the severity of the crime.
Penalty Examples;
- Selling of less than 50kgs is penalized by five years of detaining with a $7500 fine.
- Similarly, 50 to 100kg sale gets ten years of imprisonment and a $50,000 fine.
- The sale of 100 to 1000kgs gets 25 years of detention with a $100,000 fine.
- However, the sales of over 1000kgs lead to 50 years of jail and a $1 million fine.
- Moreover, if it involves a minor and is sold within 1000 feet of a school or other public place, the retailer gets imprisonment from 5 to 25 years and a fine up to $100,000.
Tips On Choosing and Buying the Best CBD in Iowa
Firstly, you should consider if the stores you will use to buy CBD are authorized by Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Iowa.
BBB only approves reliable businesses through customer reviews and reports.
Currently, only one producer, MedPharm Iowa, is authorized to cultivate hemp and offers CBD products to the approved patients.
Only two CBD stores were registered on the BBB site in Nov 2020, 50 Shades of Green and Your CBD Store.
You can get CBD in numerous forms like;
- Capsules
- Pills
- Oil Tinctures
- CBD gummies
- Vape Products
- Topicals
Medical CBD forms accepted in Iowa:
- Topical Forms – Creams, ointments, transdermal patches, lotions, and gels
- Nebulized forms for inhalation
- Vaporization – Vape Products
- Oral Forms – Capsules, tincture, liquids, tablets, and sublingual forms
- Suppositories – Vaginal and Rectal
The most considerable factor while choosing CBD is the hemp quality, as most are extracted from it.
You must check the certificate of analysis (COA) if you buy CBD in Iowa from authorized suppliers.
Laboratories issue the COA document to the CBD company ensuring their products meet the quality standards.
The CBD product’s test results and cannabinoid profile are present in the COA.
Reading the Packaging and Labels on CBD
Iowa state has different labeling conditions that medical CBD products should meet. The following things must be present on the CBD product labels according to state law:
- Chief active ingredients
- Expiration Date
- The name and address of the manufacturer
- The suggested and the maximum amount according to weight and age
- Storage Directions
You should only choose CBD brands fulfilling these requirements to ensure they’re buying quality CBD products.
Some CBD brands also contain QR codes on their products that you can scan to compare the labels with laboratory results.
Why is CBD Legal in Other States?
According to the federal hemp law, CBD is legal if it contains THC levels less than 0.3%. However, if they are more than 0.3%, the federal government takes it as marijuana which is illegal.
The Farm Bill legalized it in 2018 at the federal level.
However, states have interpreted this law while sticking to the FDA standards.
According to the FDA, retailers can’t sell CBD as dietary supplements or medication.
In addition, they may have to pay fines if they don’t comply with federal law enforcement.
Is CBD oil legal to buy in Iowa - The Bottom Line
CBD has many health benefits, and it has been made legal in 2018.
However, the legal products should contain less than 0.3% THC content as per federal laws.
However, the response to the inquiry is CBD legal in Iowa is no. Iowa has its state laws according to which only registered patients can procure CBD from the authorized dispensaries.
