Government : Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

Rae Jeanne Kilberger Receives Recognition from Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa DNR for Land Donation to Linn County Conservation

This last week completed week 10 in session at the Capitol, which was also the end of the second funnel week. We have started to slow down in passing bills in the House, and now await what the Senate sends across the Rotunda to the House for consideration.

Back in approximately 2019, the legislature passed a bill which was signed into law that allows the use of Cannabidiol oil (CBD) which can be used for treating chronic pain, mental health disorders, depression, anxiety, and other issues. This is also legal on the federal level, but Iowa and federal law require it contain less than 0.3% THC, which is the chemical that gets you high (CBD does not give you a high).

Fast forward to today. Now, there are businesses that sell gummies, candy, chocolate, and drinks that contain THC, and some of these contain huge amounts. Somehow, there was a loophole in the law, and some companies are taking advantage of it. On March 12th, the House passed House File 2605, which limits the amount of THC at 4 milligrams per serving and 10 milligrams per container. Unfortunately, there were House members on both sides of the isle that wanted these THC limits higher. I and others wanted to eliminate all THC-containing products, but unfortunately federal law prevents us from doing that. HF 2605 has no effect on CBD oil sales.

Colorado's legalization of marijuana has been detrimental in basically every way, except for the legislators who crave increasing tax revenue by any means. According to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913861/ published in 2019, data was gathered before and after legalization of recreational marijuana, and this tells how much harm it has caused to society. Total traffic deaths increased 31%. Traffic deaths doubled for drivers testing positive for marijuana. "Marijuana-related hospitalizations increased 101% after legalization." Suicide rates for people testing positive increased from 14% to 23% after four years. According to https://centennial.ccu.edu/briefs/marijuana-costs/, for every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spend approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization. Was the greed by the Colorado legislature in 2013 worth it? The carcinogens inhaled by pot smokers will eventually put an even bigger burden on the health care industry later. Iowa should never allow this to happen in our state.

On Thursday, March 14th, constituent Rae Jeanne Kilberger of Palo was recognized at the "Gift to Iowa's Future" ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda by Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources. Rae Jeanne donated 83 acres and several hundred thousand dollars to turn this ground into basically a park for public use, fulfilling her grandparents' wishes. Thank you, Rae Jeanne!

Have a safe week, be careful out there, and Happy Spring Equinox on March 19th!