The Iowa Senate passed a bill potentially restricting the amount of THC, the intoxicating substance found in cannabis, in consumable hemp products Tuesday. The bill now heads to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for approval.
If signed into law, the bill would regulate the sale of hemp products, requiring less than four milligrams of THC per serving and 10 milligrams per package. The bill would also require buyers to be 21 years or older to buy products containing THC. Currently, there is no legal age requirement for buyers.
Those under 21 years old could still buy CBD products, which are not considered intoxicating.
Additionally, the bill would require businesses that sell these products to have clear labeling to indicate the product contains THC.
The regulations will take effect July 1, pending Reynolds’ decision; however, Reynolds is expected to sign the Republican-led bill.
The effort to regulate hemp-derived products in Iowa comes after former President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, which left a federal loophole that legalized the sale of drinks infused with less than 0.3 percent of THC.
The Senate passed the bill, 31-18, on Tuesday and sent the bill to the governor’s desk. The bill passed with most Republicans in support with Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, Sen. Cherielynn Westrich, R-Ottumwa, Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, Sen. Jesse Green, R-Harcourt, voting against the bill. Sen. Eric Giddens, D-Cedar Falls, broke from Democrats who opposed the bill and voted to pass it on Tuesday.
Iowa lawmakers passed the Iowa Hemp Act in 2018, alongside the federal farm bill that made hemp legal, that legalized consumable hemp in Iowa and was created in tandem with Iowa’s Medical cannabis program.
Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, said the Iowa Hemp Act has “metastasized” and allowed large amounts of THC to be put in consumable hemp products.
“And now we are here today with a bill before us to try to put some, desperately needed regulation on this industry to not only protect industry but also to protect the consumers who might indulge in these products,” Dawson said.
Previously, drinks with high amounts of THC were sold across the state. Though the use of recreational marijuana remains illegal in Iowa, consumers are currently able to purchase THC-infused drinks with less than 0.3 percent of THC, or the equivalent of 1,000 milligrams in a one-liter drink.
These drinks and consumable hemp products are available across the state and can be found at dispensaries, bars, convenience stores, and more.
The bill previously passed a vote in the Iowa House on March 12, 78-16.