Governor Terry Branstad is warning there are too many “unintended consequences” to legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Iowa.
Branstad met recently with the mothers of children who suffer from a severe form of epilepsy — mothers who say an oil derived from marijuana is a treatment that’s working for epileptics in other states…
“I think we have to be careful about drafting our laws just for a few people that have a particular problem or ailment.”
The governor says medical marijuana — in whatever form — can easily fall into the hands of “people that don’t have prescriptions.”…
“Already the biggest increase in drug abuse has been where you have unauthorized people using other people’s prescriptions. So the abuse of prescription drugs is a big problem in this state and I don’t want to do something that’s going to exacerbate that.”
Twenty states and the District of Columbia now have prescription programs that dispense marijuana to cancer patients, epileptics and others who say the drug offers them relief they cannot find in other prescription drugs. Branstad is not convinced Iowa should join that group.
