Iowa Democrats introduce bill legalizing pot

Democratic lawmakers in Iowa on Tuesday introduced legislation that would legalize adult marijuana use in the state and pave the way for a regulated cannabis market.

“We’ve been listening to Iowans and hearing from people of all parties in every corner of the state who firmly believe it’s time to legalize marijuana. This sensible bill we’re introducing today isn’t about politics, it’s about people,” said Jennifer Konfrst, the Democratic leader of the state House of Representatives, as quoted by local news station KCRG. “Our bill in this session is an opportunity to put aside partiality and work together to achieve something that the majority of Iowans want.”

According to KCRG, the bill would also expand Iowa’s existing medicinal cannabis program.

It would also “seek to reduce penalties for marijuana possession and erase records of nonviolent marijuana convictions,” according to the broadcaster.

“It goes beyond party lines. It’s on the other side of where you live in the state: rural, urban, and suburban. And it’s time to do so,” Konfrst said, as quoted by The Gazette.

There is poll data that supports Konfrst’s claim.

A 2021 Des Moines Register poll found that 54% of Iowa adults supported the legalization of recreational cannabis, while 39% said they opposed it.

Another Des Moines Register poll released the year before returned virtually the same numbers.

But the new bill still faces a big opportunity in the Iowa General Assembly, where both the Senate and House of Representatives are controlled by Republicans who have signaled they are not in the mood for legalization.

“I’ve made it clear in the past that I don’t believe legalizing marijuana is the right path forward for Iowa,” said Steve Holt, the House of Representatives Republican, as quoted by The Gazette. “This is not an issue that has received much support from the Judiciary Committee in my time as Chair, and I don’t expect this session to be any different. Iowans have expressed very different priorities to me and my Republican counterparts.”

The Gazette noted that Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has also “opposed any effort to legalize marijuana in Iowa.”

In 2019, Reynolds vetoed a measure that “tried [to] amending and expanding the state’s low THC/high CBD access program” and “expanded the pool of healthcare professionals authorized to recommend medicinal cannabis products and opened the program to those with severe or chronic pain . It would also have removed the 3% THC cap on medicinal cannabis products,” according to NORML.

“Ultimately, I believe Iowa needs to tread carefully to ensure that any expansion of our medicinal CBD program is thoughtful and intentional,” Reynolds said in her veto statement at the time, as quoted by NORML.

The bill, introduced by Democrats this week, would “allow Iowans ages 21 and older to purchase recreational weed from a licensed store and includes a 10% excise tax and 1% surcharge” and would “money for schools, mental health, and local public safety agencies,” according to local news channel KWWL.

“Imagine that kind of revenue for Iowa schools, mental health services and local public safety,” said Democratic State House Representative Lindsay James, a co-sponsor of the proposal, as quoted by The Gazette.

James noted the success of Colorado’s recreational cannabis program.

“I’ll say this: In 2021 alone, Colorado’s marijuana industry generated $423 million in tax revenue,” said James, as quoted by Radio Iowa.

According to Radio Iowa, the proposal would also pave the way for referenda to “determine whether a marijuana business can be incorporated in a county.”