Stories

Despite strict laws banning the possession and use of marijuana, some Iowa patients are turning to the drug to ease their symptoms.

The Iowa Pharmacy Board held its final hearing on the idea of legalizing medical marijuana on Wednesday, and the board’s vice chair expects a decision before the legislature reconvenes in January.
Susan Frey, vice chair of the board, told Radio Iowa’s O.Kay Henderson that the decision won’t be rushed.

In a pair of votes that hit close to home for Iowa, voters in Maine repealed the state’s law allowing same-sex couples to get married while also voting to expand the state’s medical marijuana law.
Both issues are big topics in the Hawkeye State. The Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in April, and since that [...]

While alcohol is still Iowa’s No. 1 intoxicant, the two most abused illicit drugs in the Hawkeye State are marijuana and methamphetamine, according to a report released Monday by the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy.
“Based on primary substance abuse treatment admission data from the Iowa Department of Public Health, alcohol accounts for about 61 [...]

The decision this week by the U.S. Justice Department not to prosecute people using, prescribing or distributing marijuana in states where it is legal is a step towards legitimizing drug use, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy has agreed to hold public hearings on the possible legalization of marijuana for medical purposes in Iowa.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy will once again discuss the medical use of marijuana at its July meeting.
The board has allocated 30 minutes to discuss the issue and others related to the state law that classifies marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance in Iowa.

AUDUBON — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is seeking to turn one of the more famous political excuses in American history to his advantage by suggesting that his own frankness about youthful marijuana use reflects an honest-broker personality and a departure from Clinton equivocating.

Referencing President Clinton’s legendary argument that he tried marijuana but didn’t inhale, [...]