State board to weigh reclassification of marijuana

DES MOINES - The state pharmacy board will decide this week whether to once again recommend to the Iowa Legislature that marijuana be reclassified so it may be used for medical purposes.

Medical marijuana advocates in Iowa want the drug's classification changed from a Class I to a less dangerous Class II drug. Both classifications, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, suggest the drug has a high potential for abuse. The difference: Class II drugs have accepted medical uses.

That is why medical marijuana advocates seek the change.

'Eventually, we're going to run out of options, and I want (medical marijuana) to be an option for me,” said Lori Tassin of Des Moines, who said she has been diagnosed with lung cancer and brain tumors.

Tassin was among the 13 speakers who addressed a subcommittee of the Iowa Pharmacy Board on Monday. The full board will decide Wednesday whether to restate its suggestion to the Legislature next year.

The Pharmacy Board in 2010 unanimously agreed to recommend to the Iowa Legislature that it change marijuana from a Class I to Class II drug. The Legislature did not act on the suggestion.

A petition filed earlier this year requested the Pharmacy Board officially restate its recommendation to the Legislature, which in 2014 passed a law allowing use of cannabidiol, an oil found in the marijuana plant for prescribed medical treatment of children with epilepsy.

But parents whose children could benefit from the law say it is too narrowly drawn and makes it difficult for them to obtain the cannabidiol, which is not produced in Iowa and is illegal to possess in other states.

'I urge that the Iowa Board of Pharmacy recommend to the Iowa Legislature and the governor to remove medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, allowing this plant to be recommended by physicians and studied by the medical communities,” said Sally Gaer of West Des Moines, whose 24-year-old daughter has epilepsy.

Two representatives of Gov. Terry Branstad's administration spoke Monday in opposition to changing marijuana's classification: Dale Woolery, with the governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, and Peter Komendowski, with that office's Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa.

'The public discussion that continues in our nation today over marijuana, indeed, is unsettled to say the least. Mixed in with those sincerely talking about potential medical benefits are others who seemingly are more motivated by money, personal choice, addictions or other reasons,” Woolery said. 'The Office of Drug Control Policy is concerned with the health and safety of all Iowans. As such, our office supports the development of safe, tested and effective, research-driven, cannabis-based medicines for use by health care professionals to treat patients with valid medical needs without compromising the health and public safety of Iowans.”

Reclassification would not legalize marijuana for recreational use.