Iowa Board of Pharmacy Recommends Making Marijuana a Schedule II Drug

State board votes 6-0 in favor of reclassifying marijuana for medical use and establishing a legislative task force to implement the change.

(DES MOINES, Iowa) - Today, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy voted 6-0 to recommend to state lawmakers that marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule II drug and that a state task force be established to study how a medical marijuana law could be implemented in Iowa. Marijuana is currently classified on the federal level as a Schedule I drug, alongside much more harmful substances such as heroin and LSD, as having no proven medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule II drugs have accepted medical uses for treatment.

The recommendation comes after the board held four hearings last year to receive public input on the issue. Dozens of doctors, patients, researchers, and advocates testified before the board, and nearly all comments were supportive of medical marijuana. The Iowa House and Senate are each considering bills that would protect from arrest chronically ill patients who use marijuana to alleviate their conditions, though the bills missed the funnel deadline and will not be enacted this year.

“This vote sends a clear message to Iowa lawmakers that they should, as soon as possible, pass legislation that would give chronically ill patients who could benefit from medical marijuana safe and legal access to their medicine,” said Noah Mamber, a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, who testified during the Board’s hearings last year. “The recognition of marijuana as medicine in Iowa is a huge step. But for patients’ lives to improve, the legislature must also provide protections from arrest, as 14 other states have already done.”

“This is a great step forward for seriously ill Iowans who can benefit from medical marijuana,” said state Sen. Tom Courtney (D-Burlington). “Several years ago, my wife passed away from cancer. Marinol pills gave her some relief, but it would have been so much better if she had had legal access to marijuana.”

A Des Moines Register poll released yesterday found that 64% of Iowans support patients’ use of medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Fourteen other states, including most recently New Jersey and Michigan, have passed medical marijuana laws, and nearly a dozen others, including Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, are considering such legislation. In Iowa, the legislature is considering S.F. 293, sponsored by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, and H.F. 2179, sponsored by Rep. Mary Mascher.

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

Osotan; February 18, 2010 3:05 am (Pacific time)

twist one and chill. 4-20.

Ricky February 17, 2010 7:17 pm (Pacific time)

finaly, let's make it all legal now

Ralph February 17, 2010 6:54 pm (Pacific time)

Good, prescription drugs are much more dangerous. I should have the right to put a safer natural medicine in my body that doesn't benefit enormous multi-national drug corporations. Do we forget how we originally got our independence?

CleverTitania February 17, 2010 6:28 pm (Pacific time)

Given how the pharmacy board were initially dragging their feet on even discussing this change, I'm immensely impressed that this has happened. Now if only Illinois will start to learn the realities of the medical cannibus movement.

Ralph February 17, 2010 6:07 pm (Pacific time)

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS VS MARIJUANA “On June 24, 2005 ProCon.org sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find the number of deaths caused by marijuana compared to the number of deaths caused by 17 FDA-approved drugs. Twelve of these FDA-approved drugs were chosen because they are commonly prescribed in place of medical marijuana, while the remaining five FDA-approved drugs were randomly selected because they are widely used and recognized by the general public.” Total Deaths – Marijuana (Indirectly) – 279 Total Deaths – FDA – Approved (Directly) 10,008 (Indirectly) 1,679 Thats a 48:1 ratio of how dangerous FDA Meds are compared to Marijuana, and the indirectly number no doubt, probably included a lot of irresponsible people. Interestingly, the Marinol has been directly responsible for (4) deaths, and indirectly responsible for (1) death.

Kelsey February 17, 2010 4:35 pm (Pacific time)

Hell yeah!

[Return to Top]