Iowa has received a total of 21 applications from seven companies that are competing for five licenses to distribute medical marijuana. Most of them want to distribute from Davenport, Sioux City, Council Bluffs or Des Moines, but other cities on the list include Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Sarah Reisetter, at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the turnout is lackluster.

 

The application window closed last week and Reisetter says it’s now up to the state health department to review the plans.

 

Advocates had worried the state’s low potency rules might keep companies away. The department plans to hand out the licenses by April. Distribution to Iowans with approved medical conditions should start by December.