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.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will consider legislation designed to overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system by creating a commission to examine that system and make reform recommendations to Congress. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), is designed to confront the problem of the nation’s [...]

In a pair of votes that hit close to home for Iowa, voters in Maine repealed the state’s law allowing same-sex couples to get married while also voting to expand the state’s medical marijuana law.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 [...]

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.

Senators will debate the virtues of medical marijuana during a subcommittee hearing Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Senate File 293, sponsored by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, would create the Medical Marijuana Act, which would allow the possession and use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes, create compassion centers and provide for criminal and civil penalties for misuse.

Bill Richardson is taking on the federal government and backing his state’s medical marijuana law, in perhaps the strongest stance yet by a major presidential candidate on the issue.

In a letter to President Bush, the New Mexico governor writes:
At a time when the scourge of meth is coming across the border, and cocaine and heroin [...]