Yo, peep this – the Iowa state Senate just dropped a bill capping the THC levels in hemp products. This bill is now sitting on Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk, waiting for her stamp of approval. House File 2605 got the nod from the Senate with a vote of 31-18 after the Iowa House of Representatives gave it the thumbs up last month.
If the governor signs off on it, this new law will cap THC potency in hemp products at 4 milligrams per serving, maxing out at 10 milligrams per package. Plus, there’s gotta be warning labels on the packaging and you gotta be at least 21 to cop any hemp products with THC. And yo, if businesses try to sell these products without registering first, they’ll catch some penalties for real.
Senator Dan Dawson, the brains behind this bill, called it “desperately needed regulation.” He straight up said, “There has to be some type of guardrails on here.” Basically, he’s saying they gotta keep things in check between over-the-counter hemp products and what’s in the medicinal CBD program.
Dawson argued that the Iowa Hemp Act needs to keep the milligram usage lower than the medical cannabidiol program to avoid any confusion. He wants to make sure peeps are going through a doctor to get those medical products and not just buying whatever off the shelf.
But hold up, not everyone’s feeling this bill. Democratic Representative John Forbes threw some shade at it during a House debate last month. He’s worried about all them unintended consequences for people who rely on hemp products outside of the regulated CBD program – like folks using THC or CBD to kick an opioid addiction.
Forbes thinks this bill is missing the mark when it comes to helping Iowans who need these products for their health. He’s talking about how many CBD products have like 2 to 4 milligrams of THC per serving and this bill would screw things up by forcing them into smaller packages.
Senator Tom Shipley wasn’t having any of that. He helped write the Iowa Hemp Act back in 2019 and he saw some shady stuff going down with businesses trying to slide around the rules. He said they needed this bill to close those loopholes and keep things legit.
Supporters of this bill also say it’s about protecting peeps who use hemp for fun too. They’re saying we need regulations to make sure everyone stays safe and knows what they’re getting into when they buy these products.
So yo, it looks like Iowa is cracking down on that hemp game. If you wanna get your hands on some of that good stuff, you better watch out for those new rules coming your way soon. Stay safe out there, y’all! Peace.