Meeting Public Comments

Carl Olsen [Iowans for Medical Marijuana]

Regarding HSB 524, from the Department of Corrections, cannabis and cannabis extracts (cannabidiol) are federally illegal, and any state agency or private institution that receives federal funding is in jeopardy of losing that funding if they allow cannabis extracts (cannabidiol) to be used at a facility (I would guess that extends to supervised release from custody, but I'm not sure about that). We have been working on this since 2020, when HF2589 required the health department to apply for a federal exemption. The health department filed that request in April of 2021, but the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hasn't replied to it. Because of that the board that regulates the program, the Medical Cannabidiol Board, has recommended creating a legal task force and Senator Zaun filed that bill last year, Senate File 69, which passed in subcommittee and is now pending. I appreciate the concerns of the Department of Corrections and they are valid concerns, but we should do everything we can to protect our state law from federal interference when the federal government can and has issued exemptions and waivers in the past. Take a look at 21 C.F.R. 1307.31 for a good example of that, religious use of a Schedule I controlled substance is exempt and suppliers are registered with the DEA. We can do that for the patients on this program, Iowa Code Chapter 124E, and our suppliers can be registered with the DEA so nobody is violating federal drug law.