Reposted from https://mjbizdaily.com/iowa-new-medical-cannabis-program-chart/:

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Chart: Significant challenges await Iowa’s new medical cannabis program

Published 3 hours ago | By Eli McVey and Maggie Cowee

The financial viability of Iowa’s newly launched medical marijuana program may be in question due to:

• High licensing fees.
• A restrictive list of qualifying conditions.
• Limited buy-in from patients and physicians.
• Widespread confusion about product availability.

While Iowa is considered by many to be a CBD-only state, the launch of MMJ sales through licensed dispensaries last week included products high in THC.

The confusion comes from the naming conventions and language used by Iowa regulators when drafting the state’s MMJ bill.

The title of the law is the “Medical Cannabidiol Act” – implemented by the state’s Office of Medical Cannabidiol – and limits products to 3% THC.

However, since smokable flower is prohibited in Iowa – patients can purchase only products like capsules, tinctures and topicals – the 3% THC limit applies to the final weight of the end product, not the THC content in the plant itself.

For example, a capsule that weights 600 milligrams can contain up to 20 milligrams of THC – 3% of the total weight of the capsule.

That confusion may have suppressed patient counts in the state, which have yet to crack the 1,000 mark.