The Iowa Department of Public Health has approved five licenses to distribute medical marijuana.

The department says it has offered dispensary licenses to Have a Heart Compassion Care for facilities in Council Bluffs and Davenport and one for the Iowa Cannabis Company in Waterloo. And it has also offered licenses for two MedPharm facilities in Windsor Heights and Sioux City. Those five have until 9 a.m. Wednesday to accept.

The information from the department says 10 other applicants met the requirements for a license, but will not be awarded one unless one of the first five applicants doesn’t take a license.  Those companies are:
CLIA, Des Moines
Have a Heart Compassion Care, for Des Moines and Sioux City
Iowa Cannabis Company  for Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux City
MedPharm Iowa for  Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Davenport

Five other applicants did not meet the minimum requirement to obtain a license. They are:
Green Orchard Dispensary, Council Bluffs
Iowa Apothecarium for Cedar Falls, Davenport, Sioux City and Urbandale

Changes in the medical marijuana law allow for the five dispensaries to distribute the products created by MedPharm Iowa, which was the only company licensed to produce the products.