Can You Grow Cannabis In Iowa?
We're setting the bar pretty high with this one, folks.
You need one to drive.
You need one to fish.
Now, it turns out you can get a license to grow hemp.
Iowa is rich in agriculture. If you go out for a long drive you'll find farms with acres of crops to harvest. Instead of growing alfalfa or soybeans, it looks like farmers in Iowa might be able to plant, harvest, and grow hemp.
Last year, Iowa residents could grow this plant if they acquired a license. As reported by Radio Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture is allowing people to grow the crop as long as they apply. This will be the second year in a row that Iowans can sign up.
The crop must have a THC level of .3 or less to be acceptable by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.
Last year, growers had only fifteen days to cultivate their crops. Just a year later and that time has doubled, which means that farmers have to harvest everything in thirty days or less. More than eighty licenses were given out over the course of last year's season, and the majority of people applying in 2021 are first-time growers.
For questions about applying for a hemp license, you can reach out to hemp@iowaagriculture.gov via email or even give this number a call; (515) 725-1470. Officials from the Iowa Department of Agriculture also say that the actual commercial use of hemp still does not make the use of cannabidiol for human consumption (otherwise known as CBD) legal.