House votes for new regulations of hemp-infused consumables

DES MOINES — The Iowa House has voted to impose new limits on hemp products, including a cap on how much THC extracted from hemp can be in food or drinks sold in Iowa. The bill would require labels warning the products are intoxicating and set criminal penalties for selling hemp products with THC to anyone under the age of 21.

Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says when the state made it legal to grow and sell hemp, the legislature had no idea products with high concentrations of THC would be produced. “It is a little bit of the wild, wild west out there in Iowa right now thanks to the loopholes we did not know we created,” Holt said.

The bill passed on a 79 to 16 vote.

Opponents like Representative Bob Kressig of Cedar Falls say retailers that are selling hemp-infused products will see sales slide if the bill becomes law. “We have 1100 retailers in Iowa with these products, we have 3000 employees and we have 800,000 Iowans that access these products,” Kressig said.

Bill backers say some of the hemp-infused drinks and other consumables being sold in Iowa have incredibly high levels of THC and it’s time to act. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate, but has not cleared a Senate committee.