Lang
6/21/23
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says it’s looking into efforts to create a “THC safe space” at an upcoming Iowa music festival.
WOI TV in Des Moines reports the annual 80/35 Music Festival is planning a “THC lounge” where concertgoers who also have medical cannabidiol cards can consume their legally-prescribed products while still inside the festival. Iowa has strict laws on publicly consuming medical THC, so festival organizers decided to make it easier for those enjoying the concert.
But the DHHS told WOI that Bud & Mary’s…a Cannabidiol dispensary company and a festival sponsor…”did not request and did not receive approval to host a medical marijuana consumption area during the music festival.” Iowa law requires the agency to approve any medical THC marketing.
The DHHS says any request would have been denied anyway, as Iowa Code does not allow medical THC to be consumed on the premises of a dispensary or manufacturer, and Bud & Mary’s renting the space for the lounge would fit that definition.
WOI says a final decision in the case has yet to be reached.
The 80/35 Festival is set for July 7th and 8th in downtown Des Moines and will feature The War on Drugs, House of Large Sizes, William Elliott Whitmore and more.