How to get a Medical Marijuana Card in Iowa

Photo by Austin Goode on Unsplash

You may be wondering, “is medical marijuana legal in Iowa?” The answer is, it is legal for medical marijuana patients in Iowa. In essence, you must become a medical marijuana patient in Iowa and be certified with the state to purchase medical cannabis in Iowa.

To become an Iowa medical marijuana patient, you can talk with one of our licensed medical marijuana doctors online in Iowa. Then, you will fill out some paperwork to register with the state.

First, we will help to see if you have a qualifying medical condition and then we will help you through the application process. Once you are registered with the Iowa medical marijuana program, you may start visiting Iowa dispensaries and purchasing Iowa medicinal weed.

Qualifying Conditions:

Before you begin the process, you may want to review the qualifying condition for a medical marijuana card. Here are some conditions that may qualify you for the program:

  • Chronic pain
  • 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  
  • 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 
  • Autism
  • PTSD

Documentation Needed:

When registering with the state after your appointment, you’ll need to provide one of the following (unexpired) to prove residency:

  • Iowa Driver’s License
  • Iowa State ID Card

Talk to our doctors to get your Iowa medical marijuana card online

Simply visit prestodoctor.com to schedule your video chat appointment and then talk to one of our board-certified doctors. We generally have same-day appointments available, or you can schedule an appointment in the future.

After you are approved by one of our doctors:

Once the doctor approves you for medical cannabis, we will send a signed healthcare practitioner certification after your appointment is completed. Once you’ve received your patient certification from our doctors, you will need to fill out an online patient application for the medical marijuana program on the Iowa State website. We will also send step-by-step instructions on how to do this, post-appointment, via email.

Iowa State Application Fee:

Once you have completed the Online Patient Registration online application, submitted the practitioner certification form and all other required documentation (Iowa ID), the online application fee must be paid to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH)

Also, be advised that these state application fees are separate from PrestoDoctor appointment fees.

  • Standard application fees are $100
  • Reduced Application Fee is $25 ( you would need to include either, a copy of a Social Security Disability Benefit notice/SSDI notice, or a copy of proof of reciept of Supplemental Security Income Payment / SSI receipt, or a copy of a Iowa Medicaid member card, or a copy of Hawk-I member card)

Once approved, the IDPH will send out a temporary card via email. Your physical medical card will be mailed to the address listed in your state application.

The state of Iowa usually makes their decision on your application within 3-5 business days. Once approved, you may pick up your medical marijuana card from any DMV or courthouse. You may purchase medical marijuana products in Iowa once you are approved.

Questions for the Iowa Department of Public Health?

Visit the state website for methods of contact here.

Phone: 515-725-2076

Book Now – Get your Iowa Medical Card Today

Purchasing Marijuana in Iowa

On February 27th, 2022, the Iowa medical marijuana program denied a petition to allow consumption of cannabis by smokable flower. This means there is no cannabis flower, joints, or loose leaves for purchase. Additionally, THC- infused edibles are not legally allowed to be purchased.

Medical marijuana in Iowa is limited to the following:

  • 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 

Iowa does not impose a sales tax on marijuana products. Furthermore, there is no recreational marijuana use in Iowa. Only medical marijuana patients who are certified in Iowa can purchase marijuana products.

Renewing Your Iowa Medical Marijuana Card

Patients must be re-certified annually by a licensed medical marijuana doctor in Iowa. You do not need to go back to the same medical cannabis doctor in Iowa who initially certified you. The following health care professionals are allowed to prescribe medical marijuana:

  • Licensed Physicians (MD/DO),
  • Physician Assistants (PAs)
  • Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs)
  • Podiatrists
  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy Technicians.

Prestodoctor has a team of certified 100% online cannabis doctors in Iowa. If you are not qualified by our doctors, we have 100% money back guaranteed.

Iowa Medical Marijuana Laws as of 2022

On July 1st, 2020, Governor Kim Reynolds signed new laws into effect. One of these amendments to the program is removing the 3% THC limit on products and replacing it with a “4.5g THC per 90-day” purchase limit. The amendments also added new conditions to the qualifying conditions lost.

To read HF2589 in its entirety, click here to visit the government posted information.