Iowa Plans to Reissue Medical Cannabis Dispensary Application

The Iowa Department of Health has rescinded a request-for-proposal for two licensed medical cannabidiol dispensaries after the closure of two storefronts earlier this year, but state officials plan to reissue the application in the next few days, according to a Quad-City Times report.

The change comes after new legislation that has altered Iowa’s medical cannabis program since the Department of Health initially issued its RFP, the news outlet reported.

The Iowa Senate passed a bill last week to replace the state’s current 3% THC limit for medical cannabis products with a limit of 4.5 grams of THC in a 90-day period, sending the legislation to Gov. Kim Reynolds for consideration.

“The previous RFP in some ways, it was an old program,” Owen Parker, program manager at the Department of Public Health’s Office of Medical Cannabidiol, told Quad-City Times. “We want licensees to be familiar with the new program.”

Earlier this year, two medical cannabis dispensaries owned by Have A Heart Compassionate Care closed in Council Bluffs and Davenport, creating the opening for two new storefronts.

“Providing patient access to medical cannabidiol products is important to the department, and we understand the difficulties that these closures may cause for patients and caregivers in the Council Bluffs and Davenport areas,” the Department of Health said in a press release at that time. “The department is committed to providing patient access, and will work to license two new dispensaries as soon as possible."