A parent who’s been urging Iowa lawmakers to legalize marijuana for medical use says Iowa should at least allow epileptics to get a liquified version of the drug. Republican Steve Gaer, the mayor of West Des Moines, says the oil is produced from a strain of marijuana called “Charlotte’s Web”.
Gaer’s 24-year-old daughter, Margaret, has a rare form of epilepsy. Her violent seizures can sometimes last as long as 25 minutes.
State Senator Joe Bolkcom (BOWL-kum), a Democrat from Iowa City, is one of 10 senators — five Democrats and five Republicans — who’ve signed a resolution calling for a group of legislators to intensely study the issue this summer and fall.
Governor Terry Branstad, though, has said the state should not draft laws like one that would legalize medical marijuana “just for a few people with a particular…ailment.” Steve Lukan (LUKE-an) is director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. He says there are too many unanswered questions about cannabis as a treatment for medical problems, especially post traumatic stress disorder.
