The mayor of Cedar Rapids says his city is ready to capitalize on the state’s medical marijuana industry after the second license to manufacture medical marijuana products was awarded to a company that plans to open a facility there.
Iowa Relief LLC was awarded the second license and plans to do build a facility in southwest Cedar Rapids. Mayor Brad Hart says he expects the market for the drug to keep growing.
“I think it’s very possible that there’ll be an expansion for the use of medical marijuana in Iowa and potentially recreational use,” Hart says, “So this kind of gets us in on the ground floor.” The state issued licenses to dispense medical marijuana products in Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Windsor Heights, Waterloo and Davenport. Hart hopes Cedar Rapids will eventually also have get a dispensary in the future.
“If they increase the number of licenses for dispensaries, we would be in a good position to get one of those. And that would serve patients, that would serve people in this area,” Hart says. Iowa Relief is owned by the New York firm Acreage Holdings, and the company’s website says it has operations in 12 other states. Iowa Relief is required to have production underway by July of next year.
MedPharm Iowa was awarded the first license to manufacture medical marijuana and is building a facility in Des Moines. MedPharm is required to have products available in December.
(Thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)