Medical Cannabis For Patients & Caregivers

The following information is designed and organized to help certified patients and caregivers understand Iowa’s Medical Cannabis Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs were created to provide answers to the most common questions from patients and prospective patients about Iowa's Medical Cannabis Program.

Online Application Guidelines

The document below is a step-by-step walkthrough for guiding patients through our online application process:

The document below is a step-by-step walkthrough for guiding caregivers through our online application process:

Qualifying Conditions

An Iowa resident may qualify for Iowa's Medical Cannabis Program if their Healthcare Practitioner certifies they have one of the following Qualifying Debilitating Medical Conditions:

• Cancer – if the illness or its treatment produces one or more of the following: severe or chronic pain, nausea or severe vomiting, cachexia or severe wasting.
• Seizures
• Crohn’s disease
• Chronic pain
• Multiple Sclerosis with severe and persistent muscle spasms
• AIDS or HIV (as defined in Iowa Code, section 141A.1)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Any terminal illness with a probable life expectancy of under one year – if the illness or its treatment produces one or more of the following: severe or chronic pain, nausea or severe vomiting, cachexia or severe wasting
• Ulcerative colitis
• Severe, intractable pediatric autism with self-injurious or aggressive behaviors
• Severe, intractable autism with self-injurious or aggressive behaviors
• Corticobasal Degeneration

Patients Start the Process

If a patient has any of the qualifying conditions listed above, and is interested in medical cannabis, the first step is to schedule an appointment with your Healthcare Practitioner (MD/DO, ARNP, PA, or podiatrist). Before visiting with your healthcare practitioner, patients should download the following two documents and bring them with you to your consultation:

Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form - This is the form that your healthcare practitioner will sign if they are to certify a patient's condition.

Patient Information Sheet - This is information about medical cannabis that healthcare practitioners are required to discuss with patients seeking certification of their qualifying condition for the use of medical cannabis.

For more information and literature on medical cannabis and cannabinoids, patients should visit our for healthcare practitioners page.

Apply Online - After your healthcare practitioner has signed your Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form, use our online registration system to apply. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us at medical.cannabis@hhs.iowa.gov or call us at 515-725-2076.

Renewing Your Card

A patient’s medical cannabis registration card expires one year from the time it is issued by Iowa HHS. Patients will be notified by letter or email 60 days prior to their card expiring. To renew their card, each year, a patient must:

• Visit their healthcare practitioner to have their condition recertified.
• Submit the same forms to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services as listed above.
• Provide the necessary payment.

Available Medical Cannabis Products

Iowa’s manufacturers produces medical cannabis products in different forms and strengths. Examples can be found at our two manufacturer's websites.

For additional questions about Bud & Mary's products, you may call them directly at (515)-410-9100

Allowable Forms of Medical Cannabis in Iowa

• Oral forms - tablets, capsules, liquids, tinctures and sublingual forms
• Topical forms - gels, ointments, creams, lotions and transdermal patches
• Nebulizable - inhaled forms
• Suppositories - rectal and vaginal
• Vaporization

Patient Registration

All adult patients aged 18 and over must complete a patient registration application. Minor patients (under 18 years old) and any adult patients who need a caregiver will need the caregiver to complete a separate caregiver registration application (see caregiver registration tab on the left side of this screen). Registration cards are valid for one year and must be renewed annually.

How to Apply (and Renew)

Download the form below and schedule a visit with your Healthcare Practitioner to discuss medical cannabis.

Complete and submit and adult patient application, using the button below.

After a patient's healthcare practitioner certification form has been signed by your healthcare practitioner, patients should apply using our online patient application

If you are unable to apply online, please contact us at medical.cannabis@hhs.iowa.gov or call us at 515-725-2076.

All applications must include:

• Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form, signed by your healthcare practitioner
• Completed Adult Patient Application (paper or online)
• A copy of your photo ID, which can be either:
• A valid Iowa driver's license
• A valid Iowa non-operator's identification card

Payment

• $100, unless the patient is applicable for the reduced fee
• $25, when scanned proof of any of the following is provided:
• Copy of Social Security Disability Benefit notice (SSDI notice)
• Copy of proof of receipt of Supplemental Security Income Payment (SSI receipt)
• Copy of Iowa Medicaid member card
• Copy of Hawk-I member card

Next Steps:

The program will review your application.

If applicants provided an email with their application, they will receive a temporary card via email, and their permanent card will be mailed to the address provided in their application.

If no email was provided with the application, patients will receive their permanent card at the address provided with their application.

'4.5g THC per 90-days' Waiver Form and Submission

There are two exceptions to the '4.5g per 90-day purchase limit, below:

• For any patient certified for a terminal illness (a healthcare practitioner may indicate more THC per 90-days at the time of certification)
• If the patient's original healthcare practitioner certifies them for additional THC, after the patient has participated in the program.

*Note* - This form cannot be completed by a practitioner other than who originally certified the patient.

This form below is to be utilized by healthcare practitioners to increase a patient's 'THC per 90-day' purchase limit after participation in the program. The specific amount of THC per 90-days must be indicated by the patient's original certifying healthcare practitioner:

After your waiver has been completed by your certifying practitioner, verify your account and submit your waiver.

Mobile Registration Process

You can apply for your Medical Cannabis card using your smartphone or mobile device. Our registration site is optimized to be used by any mobile device! Similar to our online registration, the steps for mobile application are below:

• Visit your physician to have your condition certified
• Apply for your card at our online registration site.
• Take photos of your Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form and driver's license
• From your camera roll, select the photos you're sending with your applications, and submit.

Caregiver Registration

The following information is designed to help Designated Primary Caregivers understand the process of registering in Iowa's medical cannabis program.

Caregivers of Adult Patients

• All adult patients (>18) will need to complete the adult patient application before a caregiver's application can be approved.
• When applying online, the adult patient must submit their application first. Upon submission, the patient will receive an email with their application number. This is the number that is required when filling a caregiver application.
• When applying by paper, the OMC recommends submitting the patient application, caregiver application, completed healthcare practitioner form and other required documents at the same time.

Caregivers of Minor Patients

• The minor must have a completed healthcare practitioner form signed by their healthcare practitioner, but no patient application is required with submission.
• Payment is not required for minors, but the $25 caregiver application fee still applies.

How to Apply (and Renew)

1. Ensure your patient has a completed healthcare practitioner form, with you listed as the designated primary caregiver.
   • Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form
2. Complete and submit a caregiver registration application.
   • After a patient's healthcare practitioner certification form has been signed by their healthcare practitioner, with the caregiver indicated, caregivers should apply using our online caregiver application. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us at medical.cannabis@hhs.iowa.gov or call us at 515-725-2076.
   • All applications must include:
     • Completed Primary Caregiver Application
     • Healthcare Practitioner Certification Form, signed by the patient's doctor with you designated as the primary caregiver.
     • A copy of your photo ID which can be either:
       • A valid driver's license from Iowa or a state bordering Iowa (NE, MO, IL, WI, MN, SD)
       • A valid non-operator's identification card
     • Payment of $25
       • Cash, money order or check written out to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
3. Next steps:
   • The OMC will review your application.
   • If applicants provided an email with their application, they will receive a temporary card via email, and their permanent card will be mailed to the address provided in their application.
   • If no email was provided with the application, patients will receive their permanent card at the address provided with their application.

Dispensary Websites

• Bud & Mary's (Sioux City and Windsor Heights locations)
• Iowa Cannabis Company (East, West, Waterloo locations)

Medical Cannabis Dispensary Locations

Medical Cannabis is currently available at five dispensaries across the state of Iowa.