The original regulatory framework in Iowa passed in 2017 was extremely restrictive; only patients with severe medical conditions, such as cancer and terminal illness, were able to participate in this market. Legislation introduced in 2019 and 2020 took steps to expand the list of qualifying medical conditions and allowed more healthcare practitioners to be able to prescribe medical cannabis products.

Any attempts to pass adult-use legislation have failed in previous years.

There is no notable market activity at this time.

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Watch for this market to evolve slowly. As with all nascent medical markets, conditions such as chronic pain and anxiety will likely be the catalysts for this market to become relevant. The state is also missing out on significant economic benefits such as tax revenues and jobs which have proven to be a critical factor for other republican states.