It's the third of Iowa's neighboring states to allow residents to possess and grow marijuana, following Missouri's constitutional amendment that was passed by voters in November 2022, and the Illinois General Assembly passing legislation in 2019.
Recreational marijuana is not legal in Iowa, but the state's consumable hemp program has allowed registered retailers and producers to sell non-inhalable products that contain 0.3% or less total THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive component of cannabis.
River to River host Ben Kieffer talks with a Minnesota reporter about what led to the state's new law and who currently can sell cannabis. He also talks with an Iowan whose family business caters to Iowa's hemp and Illinois' marijuana markets and with reporters from other neighboring states about their laws surrounding hemp and marijuana.
Guests:
- Brian Bakst, politics reporter, Minnesota Public Radio
- Ali Gansemer, co-owner of River Bluff Cannabis
- Robert McCoppin, cannabis reporter, Chicago Tribune
- Anya van Wagtendonk, Capitol reporter, Wisconsin Public Radio
- Jason Rosenbaum, politics correspondent, St. Louis Public Radio
