Patients FAQ

In 2017, Governor Branstad signed legislation that enacted new Iowa Code chapter 124E, the Medical Cannabidiol Act, which legalized the medical cannabis preparations in order for products to be made available for Iowa residents age 18 or older who suffer from certain debilitating medical conditions.

The law allows patients to possess and use (but not to manufacture or sell) medical cannabidiol. The law also allows designated primary caregivers to possess cannabidiol on behalf of certain patients. Patients and primary caregivers are required to have medical cannabidiol registration cards. Certification from the patient’s primary healthcare practitioner regarding the patient’s qualifying debilitating medical condition and designation of primary caregivers, if any, are required for the medical cannabidiol registration card application process.

The 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act directs the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Transportation, to administer a process to approve and generate medical cannabidiol registration cards for patients and their primary caregivers. Medical cannabidiol registration cards provide documentation that patients and primary caregivers have met the requirements of the 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act and are authorized to legally possess medical cannabis preparations.

For more information about the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/mcarcp.

In Iowa, you can obtain and administer medicinal cannabis preparations for treatment of certain health conditions by:

1. Becoming a patient with a medical cannabidiol registration card.

This includes downloading the patient application for a medical cannabidiol registration card from the Iowa Department of Public Health website and taking it to your physician for certification that you suffer from at least one of the qualifying medical conditions for medicinal cannabidiol treatment.

You must then hand deliver or mail the completed application, all required documentation and the $100 annual fee* to the Iowa Department of Public Health:

Iowa Department of Public Health
ATTN: OMC
321 E. 12th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075

Approved patients will receive mailed instructions for obtaining a registration card from the Iowa Department of Public Transportation. A medical cannabidiol registration card is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually.

* If the patient can attest to receiving social security disability benefits, supplemental security insurance payments, or being enrolled in a medical assistance program, the fee is $25. The fee must be submitted by cash or check.

The 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act specifies that medical cannabidiol registration cards issued to patients prior to May 5, 2017, remain valid until the expiration date listed on the card. Renewal of an existing card can be done through the application for a medical cannabidiol registration card linked on this website.

2. Obtaining a medical cannabidiol registration card as a parent, legal guardian or legal caregiver.

If you are a parent, legal guardian or anyone age 18 or older who is a resident of Iowa or a bordering state and has been legally approved as a necessary caretaker for an Iowa patient, you can download the primary caregiver application for a medical cannabidiol registration card from the Iowa Department of Public Health website. Then take it to the patient’s physician for certification that the patient suffers from at least one of the qualifying medical conditions for medicinal cannabidiol treatment.

You must then hand deliver or mail the completed application, all required documentation and the $25 annual fee (cash or check) to the Iowa Department of Public Health:

Iowa Department of Public Health
ATTN: OMC
321 E. 12th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075

Approved caregivers will receive mailed instructions for obtaining a registration card from the Iowa Department of Public Transportation. A medical cannabidiol registration card is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually.

The 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act specifies that medical cannabidiol registration cards issued to patients prior to May 5, 2017, remain valid until the expiration date listed on the card. Renewal of an existing card can be done through the application for a medical cannabidiol registration card linked on this website.

For more information about the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Act, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/mcarcp.