Nelson says those who pushed to make a change in Iowa that lived to see it — and those who did not — should be credited for seeing the facility become a reality. “Iowans suffering from debilitating medical conditions knew there was an alternative to the pain they lived with daily. They invested thousands of hours pushing for legal access to medical cannabis,” he says. “They testified in front of numerous committees — sharing emotional stories about their conditions, and the conditions from which their children suffered.
MedPharm, Iowa’s only medical cannabis growing operation, held its grand opening Thursday at its new dispensary in Windsor Heights, a historic day because years ago, state leaders were dead set against legalizing medical cannabis in Iowa. Now it’s legal.
The plants growing in Des Moines will soon help thousands of sick people.
They cut a green big ribbon Thursday at MedPharm, an appropriate color considering the company is growing a historic crop of medical marijuana just a few feet away in the $10 million facility.
“It’s really thrilling for us to be at this very important juncture of the journey of medical cannabis in the state of Iowa,” said Chris Nelson, chief executive officer of Kemin Industries and MedPharm owner.
MedPharm is the only Iowa company legal producing what was once unthinkable: row after row of legal cannabis. Small plants in the mother room grow larger in the propagation chamber, then to the vegetation room and finally the flower room. It’s a strictly controlled, scientific process.
We Are Iowa Channel 5 News: Take a tour of the new Medpharm [VIDEO]
DES MOINES – Medical marijuana is going to be in the hands of some Iowans in less than one month.
The list of accepted conditions grew today after approval from the state medical marijuana board. But, not everyone is happy.
Board members voted to approve coverage for some forms of autism. But, they also voted down requests to add ADHD, PTSD, and Bipolar Disorder.
These are just recommendations.
State lawmakers still have to approve them.
Bipolar, PTSD, ADHD denied — veterans on Iowa Patients page not happy. Meanwhile a Weed for Warriors group is being started up in Sioux City potentially…
Medical marijuana advocates’ quest for stronger medication in Iowa was set back Friday, as the board overseeing Iowa’s new program recommended sticking with a limit on how much THC medicinal products may contain.
State law says the new medical marijuana products may contain no more than 3 percent of THC, the chemical that makes users high.
Proponents of medical marijuana say more THC is needed to effectively treat some conditions, including pain. But critics say raising the limit could encourage abuse.
The eight-member Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board, mainly made up of physicians, voted unanimously Friday against recommending legislators lift the THC limit.
“I’d like to get another year or two under our belts and see how people respond with the current THC cap,” said board member Lonny Miller, a family physician from Creston.
The 2017 law that allowed limited manufacturing and sale of medications made from marijuana plants established the advisory board. The medications are to go on sale Dec. 1 in five new dispensaries across the state.
DES MOINES, Iowa — It was all smiles at the Med-Pharm Iowa cultivation facility in Des Moines on Thursday. After years of advocating, educating, and working with lawmakers, the company cut the ribbon on the building which will be supplying Iowans with medical cannabis.
General Manager Lucas Nelson says this day happened due to the hard work of advocates across the state, and his team at Med-Pharm.
“It gave me a goosebump or two, it’s just such a special day, it’s one that at times we certainly wondered if it would get here,” said Nelson.
Inside the facility you’ll find growing rooms, flowering plants, the lab machinery where chemists extract the oils, and the bottling room. Nelson says they’ll absolutely hit the December 1 deadline to have product on the dispensary shelves, but patient-advocates say there’s still work to do. Deb Sears suffers from chronic pain brought on by a genetic condition.
“I do qualify under untreatable pain, but the problem I’m running into is it’s very difficult to find a doctor that is willing to sign my medical cannabis card,” said Sears.
“What we find is our medical patients are seeing a completely separate endpoint than [what] recreational users may be [seeing],” Lucas Nelson of MedPharm Iowa said. “That endpoint for our medical patients is symptom relief and that’s exactly the way we designed our products: to truly provide symptom relief for the conditions that have been approved.”
MedPharm’s products will be available to those who qualify by December 1st.
“The amount of care that was taken for this facility is something that I haven’t seen before, and I think most people haven’t seen before the amount of control that we’ve placed over our plants is very high,” said Joe Kerner, MedPharm head cultivator.
Eventually, workers dry the cannabis plants in the lab, separate the oils and package the final products, which include creams, pills and drops, that will help sick Iowans. It’s a day that state Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, has been waiting for.
“It’s a tremendous thing for the people of Iowa to have this. There are some improvements we need to make to the state law next year to make it even better but today is a really big day for suffering people to get the help they need,” Bolkcom said.
Bolkcom said he was inspired by West Des Moines resident Sally Gaer, whose daughter has epilepsy.
“I remember him saying it took six years in Illinois to get a program, and here we are in Iowa four legislative sessions later. It’s awesome,” Gaer said.
MedPharm will begin selling medial cannabis in its Windsor Heights dispensary at the end of the month.
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 
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