Advocates express distaste for defeated Iowa medical cannabis proposal

DES MOINES - Debate at the Iowa Capitol over whether and how to expand Iowa's limited medical cannabis law went deep into Monday evening and also spilled into Tuesday.

Advocates calling for expanded access to cannabidiol, a medicinal byproduct of the marijuana plant, expressed their disappointment with a proposal introduced Monday night by House Republicans that would have increased the number of ailments permitted for cannabidiol treatments and attempted to establish partnerships with other states that, unlike Iowa, produce and sell the product.

Opponents of the proposal, including those who would use cannabidiol to treat illnesses like epilepsy and cancer, say it would have done nothing to help them.

The legislation was voted down, 63-31, with only Republicans supporting and a mixture of Republicans and Democrats opposing.

'I'm disappointed. I feel misled by members of the Iowa House,” said Sally Gaer, of West Des Moines, co-founder of the advocacy group Iowans 4 Medical Cannabis that has advocated for expanded cannabidiol access and held a press conference Tuesday at the Capitol. 'We've been working on this for months and what they did (Monday) night showed they have no conscience, pure and simple. They decided not to help.”

Robert Lewis, of Windsor Heights, fought back tears as he expressed his disappointment in the proposal.

'I have lived in pain for 43 years. It hurts deeply today. Not so much the pain, because I have a patch on it. But the emotional pain, just knowing that there is something out there that I can use that takes that pain away,” Lewis said.

Legislative leaders who support expanding Iowa's medical cannabis program by legalizing the production and sale of cannabidiol in the state say they will continue to look for avenues to introduce legislation, but acknowledged those opportunities are becoming scarce as lawmakers close in on finishing their work for the 2016 session.

Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, said his colleagues hope to introduce their plan, but conceded there are few bills remaining to provide such an avenue. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said the same, and added attaching controversial legislation to any would threaten bills that he said 'have to get done.”

Bolkcom said it would take a signal from Republican House leaders that they would accept Democrats' expansion plan before Senate Democrats would attach their plan to legislation.

'I think people on our side will measure whether there's any opportunity and have that discussion,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs.

Gov. Terry Branstad said he has tried to keep an open mind on the issue, but as he has in the past declined to weigh in on any of the proposals. Branstad says he wants to be empathetic to individuals who feel they need cannabidiol to treat their ailments, but also wants to guard against the 'unintended consequences” of medical cannabis getting into 'the wrong hands.”

Meantime, advocates like Laura Jumper continue to hope for medical cannabis expansion. Jumper, a 36-year-old with ulcerative colitis and arthritis, said she has moved from Mason City to Ankeny in order to live with family who can help with her children.

Jumper, who believes medical cannabis would ease the pain from her arthritis, said she gets her treatments at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, but that doctors there are struggling to ease her suffering. She said the proposal introduced Monday night would not have helped her because of the great lengths it would take to acquire cannabidiol.

'I can't travel. … That was why we moved down here (to Ankeny), because it was getting harder and harder for us, for me to even drive an hour and a half. It's getting harder for me to drive to Mayo, even from Mason City,” Jumper said. 'I can't sit in a car for hours on end. I can't sit on a plane for hours on end. It's not an option for me. …

'I have battled and used immune-suppressing drugs for the last 10 years. Chemo drugs. And I've exhausted all my options. I've been on probably 12 different medications in the last 10 years. And this is time.”