Last year, after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Congress finally passed a stopgap funding bill — and ignited a ticking timebomb for the billion-dollar THC beverage industry. A provision slipped into the bill at the last minute changes federal law to effectively ban hemp-derived cannabis (delta-9) products starting Nov. 12, 2026. Even the […]
Cannabis
Posted inEastern Iowa
Where the grass is greener: 10 dispensaries just over the border in Illinois
Since Illinois legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, dozens upon dozens of state-licensed dispensaries have opened or expanded beyond medicinal offerings in the Land of Lincoln. As a result, Iowans willing to hop over the Mississippi for the boutique weed-buying experience have more options than ever. THC products cannot be legally transported across state lines. This […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Republicans killed another legal marijuana bill this year. After nearly a decade of attempts, 2027 could turn over a new leaf.
Some bills die quietly in the Iowa Legislature. HF 2206 did this year. It attracted minimal attention among lawmakers when it was introduced on Jan. 29, even though the bill had 15 House members as sponsors. It drew even less attention outside the Capitol Building, despite the fact it would have done something polling suggests most Iowans want: legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Posted inFood & Drink
Despite some legal setbacks, Iowa’s expanding cannabis beverage brands aren’t going anywhere
In the beer and wine section of Fareway, between the cases of Busch Light and White Claw, you can find a range of nonalcoholic beverage brands, all local. There’s Climbing Kites, a zero-calorie, zero-sugar citrusy sparkling water reminiscent of La Croix or Topo Chico (although they’ve rolled out two, more indulgent “Kitetail” Infusions: a caffeinated, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa-based beverage companies sue the state over new THC limits
Two Iowa companies are suing the state over its interpretation of a new law that restricts THC levels in adult beverages. Climbing Kites, a Polk County beverage manufacturer, and Field Day Brewing Co., the Johnson County producer of the Day Dreamer line of cannabis sparkling water, are suing the Iowa Department of Health and Human […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Bill restricting consumable hemp products heads to governor’s desk
The Iowa Senate sent Gov. Kim Reynolds a bill Tuesday that tightens Iowa’s laws and regulations on consumable hemp products as the products become more widely available. HF 2605, passed on a 31-18 vote, would put a limit of 4 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per serving in consumable hemp products, as well as a 10 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Advocates, candidates gather to discuss cannabis legalization — ‘This is a winning issue’
Both the setting of the meeting, a hotel conference room in Des Moines on a Saturday morning, and the average age of attendees, over 50, were standard for Iowa politics. The subject matter, however, wasn’t. “This is probably the first public event since at least the 1970s in Iowa for anybody to have a serious […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We can do better, because we’ve done better’: Deidre DeJear on Iowa’s future, LGBTQ rights, abortion access and legalizing cannabis
“I just want to get back to basics,” Deidre DeJear told the people gathered on the fifth floor patio of the Chauncey on Thursday evening, in response to a question about what her first three priorities would be if elected governor. The Democratic nominee named funding public education, guaranteeing the right to choose an abortion […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s Attorney General tweets odd warning about THC-laced Halloween candy, deletes it
For some Americans, the scariest part of Halloween is the prospect that a neighbor might attack their child via tainted candy. It doesn’t matter that it apparently doesn’t happened, certainly not on a scale that warrants a public health warning — every year, police department press releases, local TV news and social media posts warn […]
Posted inCommunity/News
4/20 in 2021: Iowans have come around to cannabis, but state and federal lawmakers are straying from their pot promises
The latest Iowa Poll from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom revealed several areas in which public opinion conflicts with state legislators’ priorities, from passing an anti-abortion amendment to the Iowa Constitution (opposed by 58 percent of respondents) to shortening early voting periods (52 percent were against), to slashing unemployment benefits for laid-off workers (of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Broccoli Beat: 4/20-friendly biscuits
April 20th, also written and known as 4/20, is just around the corner. Cannabis enthusiasts often celebrate this date by smoking or otherwise consuming more of the plant than they normally would. If you’re such a person and have scheduled a trip to a state where it’s legal, you may want to consider giving this […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Iowa should regulate marijuana like beer, wine and liquor
Ten states now regulate marijuana like alcohol. Iowa should follow their lead. Marijuana prohibition hasn’t worked and has hurt taxpayers and everyday Iowans. By legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana to Iowa adults, we can refocus our criminal justice system on serious crime and expand substance abuse treatment programs.
