DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – More medical marijuana dispensaries could soon be coming to Iowa. Tuesday, a House subcommittee unanimously approved a bill that would double the number of dispensary licenses to 10.
Democratic State Rep. John Forbes of Polk County says that right now, medical marijuana isn’t accessible for most Iowans. “Patient access to medical cannabis here in the state of Iowa is a concern, especially in certain areas of the state. People have to drive two hours plus. Most people won’t do that,” Forbes said.
But – the bill would also cap the number of dispensaries a license holder could have. Tim Coonan, a lobbyist representing the Green Leaf Cannabis Company said, “It’s a highly regulated, highly speculative. Right now, it’s in its infancy and so I think in line with that, the idea of facilitating the opportunity for more market players, there may be more value in that.”
The Green Leaf Cannabis Company doesn’t have a license but wants in. “Our thought was that to open it up to more market players, it would be wise to limit the number of licenses being held by one entity to three, since that’s the max being held right