Six of the 10 members of an Iowa interim legislative committee say it’s time for Iowa to make growing and distributing marijuana legal, if it’s used for medical purposes. Iowa has a new law that allows possession of cannabis oil as treatment of severe epilepsy, but parents of seizure-prone children say too many barriers still exist since they have to go out of state to get it. Sally Gaer (rhymes with care) of West Des Moines has a daughter who has been diagnosed with a severe and chronic form of epilepsy.

Gaer spoke to the 10-member legislative committee assembled to review the new state law that decriminalized possession of cannabis oil and consider change to it. Gaer says at least two dozen states regulate the production and distribution of cannabis oil, but only for their own residents, so Iowa families are left out.

All five Democrats and one of the five Republicans on the committee voted for such a move, although the Republican who voted yes only supports providing the cannabis oil that might be produced in Iowa to chronic epileptics. Legislative leaders appointed the 10-member committee to review the new state law on cannabis oil and consider changes to it. Their recommendations will be drafted in a report and presented to all 150 legislators in January.