NORML has a very cool interactive way to contact elected officials in Iowa to urge them to support medical cannabis. Below is information about the bills:
Two separate pieces of legislation that seek to allow the physician supervised use of cannabis are expected to be introduced during the 2013 legislative session.
State Sen. Joe Bolkham has announced that he will introduce legislation to allow for Iowa patients with qualifying conditions to access and use cannabis for medical purposes with a doctor’s recommendation. Rep. Bruce Hunter also declared his intention to introduce a similar measure in the General Assembly. These proposals would allow for Iowans with qualifying conditions to possess up to two and a half ounces of marijuana, which can be cultivated from a private grow of no more than six plants, or purchased from a state approved dispensary.
Since 1996, eighteen states and the District of Columbia have approved legislation allowing for the use of cannabis therapy by qualified patients.
NORML will continue to update you in the coming weeks as this proposal moves forward. You can stay updated on the latest news regarding this legislation by following ISU NORML on Facebook here.
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You can write your Iowa Representative or Senator by clicking here. You will have the option of sending an e-mail or letter that states the information below. All you have to do is give up a few minutes of your day to help bring medical cannabis to Iowa!
Editable text to State House:
I’m asking for your support legislation which seeks to enact a limited exception to Iowa’s criminal laws to permit the doctor-advised medical use of cannabis by patients with serious medical conditions. At the same time, it will not alter or interfere with already existing state laws discouraging the non-medical, personal use of marijuana.
Voters strongly support this change in law. According to a December 2012 CBS News nationwide telephone poll of 1,100 adults, 83 percent of Americans favor allowing doctors to authorize specified amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses. Eighteen states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington and the District of Columbia — have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Patients in these states enjoy legal protections to use medicinal marijuana under a doctor’s supervision; seriously ill citizens in Illinois deserve this same protection.
The use of marijuana as medicine is a public health issue; it should not be part of the war on drugs. I strongly urge you to support this legislation.
Editable text to State Senate:
I’m asking for your support legislation which seeks to enact a limited exception to Iowa’s criminal laws to permit the doctor-advised medical use of cannabis by patients with serious medical conditions. At the same time, it will not alter or interfere with already existing state laws discouraging the non-medical, personal use of marijuana.
Voters strongly support this change in law. According to a December 2012 CBS News nationwide telephone poll of 1,100 adults, 83 percent of Americans favor allowing doctors to authorize specified amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses. Eighteen states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington and the District of Columbia — have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Patients in these states enjoy legal protections to use medicinal marijuana under a doctor’s supervision; seriously ill citizens in Illinois deserve this same protection.
The use of marijuana as medicine is a public health issue; it should not be part of the war on drugs. I strongly urge you to support this legislation.
