Relating to the medical cannabidiol Act

The bill amends the definition of a health care practitioner to allow a licensed physician assistant and a licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner to certify a patient to receive a medical cannabidiol registration card. The bill allows the department of public health to issue a medical cannabidiol registration card to a patient receiving inpatient hospice care in Iowa without complying with any other requirement to receive a medical cannabidiol registration card after producing proof that the patient is receiving hospice care. The bill also removes the restriction on certain felons receiving medical cannabidiol patient registration cards. The bill amends the membership of the medical cannabidiol board by adding two members who are patients with valid medical cannabidiol registration cards. The bill also allows the board to meet up to eight times per year. The bill allows medical cannabidiol manufacturers to make deliveries to patients pursuant to rules of the board. The bill requires medical cannabidiol manufacturers to neutralize plant waste with a chemical such as bleach before transporting such waste to a solid waste disposal site. Currently, such material must be composted prior to transportation pursuant to rules of the department. The bill prohibits any licensing board from disciplining a person licensed, certified, or registered by that licensing board for conducting activities related to a patient’s certification to purchase and consume medical cannabidiol or for purchasing and consuming medical cannabidiol. The bill exempts sales of medical cannabidiol products by a medical cannabidiol manufacturer or a medical cannabidiol dispensary pursuant to Code chapter 124E from sales tax. The bill removes the department of transportation from the process of issuing medical cannabidiol registration cards. The bill provides that any medical cannabidiol registration card issued by the department of transportation prior to July 1, 2019, remains in effect and continues in effect for the 12-month period following its issuance. The bill requires the department of public health to issue medical cannabidiol registration cards. The bill provides that notwithstanding any contrary federal regulation, the use of medical cannabidiol pursuant to Code chapter 124E is not subject to federal regulation.