Can You Buy Smokable Hemp Flower in Iowa? Iowa legalized hemp

Iowa legalized hemp for commercial purposes, but not all products are allowed for manufacture and sale.

What is the legal status of hemp flower in Iowa? Can you buy hemp-derived CBD in the Hawkeye State? Let’s take a look at the Iowa hemp laws.

Last Update: June 11, 2023

Article Summary

CBD flower is not explicitly prohibited in Iowa, but “smokable hemp” or products intended for inhalation are.
Because CBD flower can be used for cooking, making edibles, and oil extraction, it appears to be allowed in Iowa if not marketed for inhalation.
Hemp pre-rolls, cigarettes, cigars and similar products used through inhalation are strictly prohibited in Iowa.
Possession and use of smokable hemp products in Iowa is punished by a serious misdemeanor.
CBD products with less than 0.3% THC are not controlled substances in Iowa and can be sold to the extent of federal regulations.

Is Hemp Flower Legal in Iowa?

It appears that it’s legal to resell hemp flower with less than 0.3% only if not marketing it as a product for inhalation.

Here’s the wording in Iowa’s Code 204.14A Criminal offense — inhalation.

A person shall not possess, use, manufacture, market, transport, deliver, or distribute harvested hemp or a hemp product if the intended use of the harvested hemp or hemp product is introduction into the body of a human by any method of inhalation, including any of the following:

Smoke produced from combustion.
A type of article that uses a heating element, power source, electronic circuit, or other electronic, chemical, or mechanical process.
A device, including but no limited to a cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, or pipe, regardless of whether such device produces smoke or vapor.

Based on the provisions of the bill, CBD flower is not explicitly prohibited, unless the intended use is for inhalation.

CBD flower can be also used as a base material for making edibles, cooking, or oil extraction. So, if not marketed for inhalation, it appears that hemp flower with less than 0.3% THC is legal in Iowa.

The same cannot be said for smokable hemp products such as per-rolls, cigarettes, and similar. These products are intended for smoking, so they are illegal in Iowa.

Iowa legalized hemp in May 2019 when Governor Kim Reynolds, signed the Iowa Hemp Act. Under the Iowa Hemp Act hemp means:

“The plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof, and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a maximum delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than three-tenths of one percent on a dry weight basis. [1]

To grow hemp in Iowa, farmers must obtain a license from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Where to Buy Hemp Flower in Iowa?

Iowa is one of the states where hemp markets are still forming, so many people shop their hemp flower online.

It is legal to mail hemp flower and CBD nationwide as long as they contain less than 0.3% THC. Ordering your hemp flower online is so much more convenient as opposed to buying it at a local hemp flower shop.

Here is what you need to know before ordering your hemp flower:

Iowa Hemp Flower for Sale

When you buy hemp online, you are not able to see or smell the product. So, it is crucial to choose a reputable brand that offers high-quality hemp flower.

At Mr. Hemp Flower, you can order organically-grown hemp flower with less than 0.3% THC and get it delivered within 3-5 days. We offer free shipping on orders over $100.

To prove the quality of our products, we include a lab analysis report done by a third-party, independent lab. The report confirms the levels of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids and terpenes in each bunch. Together with the lab results, we include notice to law enforcement.

Hemp Flower by Licensed Farmers

One of the most important things to look for when buying your hemp flower is whether it has been grown by licensed farmers.

State laws require licensed farmers to grow this crop, but you also need to make sure you are getting hemp flower from people that have created CBD-rich strains prior to this “green rush.”

All of our hemp flower is grown by licensed farmers with more than 5 years of experience, in the lush and fertile states of Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.

Hemp is a unique plant and requires a different level of care. There are a lot of inexperienced people in the hemp industry, so you need to make sure your hemp flower is coming from a reputable source.

Get High-CBD Hemp Flower

Hemp flower is a natural way to consume CBD and feel the benefits of all compounds in hemp when working in synergy. If you are looking for hemp flower strains rich in CBD, check out our best strains with more than 16% CBDa:

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Special Sauce CBD Hemp Flower

$8.99 – $109.99

Can You Grow Hemp in Iowa?

Yes, you can grow hemp in Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is responsible for issuing licenses and regulate the cultivation of hemp.

Each state was required to develop a state plan and submit for approval of the USDA. But, compared to other states that decided to issue licenses and allow cultivation of hemp before USDA’s approval, Iowa decided to wait until the USDA approves the state’s proposed regulatory plan. [2]

So, farmers were not allowed to legally grow hemp in Iowa until the state’s plan got approved by the USDA.

Is CBD Legal in Iowa?

Yes, CBD products are legal in Iowa as long as it’s derived from hemp and contain less than 0.3% THC.

After the enactment of the Iowa Hemp Act, hemp-derived CBD products are no longer controlled substances. State hemp laws allow adding CBD to products intended for human consumption or “consumable hemp products” to the extent of federal law.

Iowa’s Hemp Act defines “consumable hemp product” as:

A hemp product that includes a substance that is metabolized or is otherwise subject to a biotransformative process when introduced into the human body.

In this category are products introduced in the human body through ingestion, but not inhalation.

Medical CBD Is Legal In Iowa

Medical cannabidiol (CBD) is legal in Iowa since December 2018. The state allows patients and primary caregivers who hold a medical CBD registration card issued by the Department of Public Health to purchase medical CBD available in five state dispensaries.

The state issued two manufacturing licenses to companies allowed to produce medical CBD. The Department of Health is not authorized to regulate the sales of other types of CBD products in Iowa. It is legal to buy FDA-approved CBD medications in Iowa.