A medical marijuana legalization bill in Iowa is following in the steps of Florida by enacting something similar to the Charlotte’s web law that was recently passed. But how does this legal weed differ from pot smoking and other methods of consuming cannabis?
In a related report by The Inquisitr , some dispensaries are claiming that their customers who use marijuana plants to treat various ailments report a reduction in pain between 20 and 50 percent. But a study from Harvard researchers claims that recreational marijuana users have “significant brain abnormalities” and caution pot smokers that cannabis may not be safe. At the same time, these researchers are not sure if the changes in brain structure are positive or negative, so they’re working on creating another, bigger study.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and many other Republican legislators were originally against allowing any medical marijuana bill to pass in their state. But in this case, only a cannabis oil extract will be used in order to help children who suffer from seizures. This type of legal weed is a non-euphoric form of medical marijuana which is intended solely for children who are suffering from a life-threatening condition, not adults or teenagers wishing to have a good time. In addition, parents must get an Iowan doctor willing to prescribe this type of medical marijuana, get in a waiting list for those looking to obtain the cannabis extract, and pay for traveling to another state which has legalized marijuana in order to purchase it.
Because of these facts, Brandstad says he was convinced by the parents of these children that it was worth allowing this bill to be signed into law:
“This bill received tremendous support and truly shows the power of people talking to their legislators and to their governor about important issues to them, to their families and to their children.”
The law is very similar to Florida’s Charlotte’s Web because it only allows medical marijuana to be dispersed in a liquid form. The bill does not allow possessing normal cannabis, nor is recreational marijuana smoking allowed, either. Doctors will only be allowed to prescribe a specific strain of marijuana which contains very low amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical compound that causes people to feel the “high” normally associated with marijuana. Because of this fact, this medical marijuana could hardly be used as a form of recreational marijuana.
Still, supporters of the bill hope in the future that Iowa may allow medical marijuana to treat other ailments, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.