DES MOINES, Iowa — A popular local shop selling CBD and THC products in Des Moines is finishing up a 30-day suspension this week.
On November 14th, the Department of Health and Human Services sent the owner of Despensary a letter saying that the suspension was issued for selling products that did not comply with state guidelines.
HHS said that Despensary’s hemp-based flower products violated the state’s hemp guidelines.
Ashley Hartman, the Chief Strategy Officer for Central Iowa Vapors, said that there is a general misunderstanding of hemp. She defined hemp as cannabis that contains less than 0.3% of THC by dry weight. This differs from marijuana, which is cannabis that has more than 0.3% THC by dry weight.
Under state guidelines, consumable hemp products manufactured and sold in Iowa must contain less than 0.3% total THC to be legal.
Hartman said, “Iowa allows edibles, tinctures, and topicals. However, they do prohibit the sale of vapables and flower.”
Despensary’s Chief Operating Officer Sabrina Bergloff told Axios last month that the dispensary’s products do not violate Iowa hemp laws. They also said that there is a lack of communication from HHS.
HHS wrote in the letter, “Despensary has continually failed to comply with Iowa law, as demonstrated by