New Iowa Law Forces Hemp Store in Dubuque to Close its Doors

A new Iowa law regarding consumable hemp products has forced a Dubuque business to close.

Botanicanna, located in Dubuque's Kennedy Mall, announced that they will close their sole Iowa location via Facebook this week. Their closure is due to restrictions from that aforementioned law that took effect this summer, per KWWL.

Iowa's famously strict laws on hemp products got a bit tighter on July 1st, 2024. The bill HF 2605 caps THC serving limits at 4mg per serving and 10mg per container. The law also stipulates that people who buy consumable hemp products that include THC must be over 21-years-old (I thought that was already a state-wide law, but that could be my brain stuck on Illinois).

The law also prohibits consumable hemp products such as Delta 8 THC, Delta 10 THC, HHC, THC-P, and THC-O. As a result, this law curbed a great deal of what could be sold at Botanicanna's Iowa store.

Cannabis Specialist John Bollinger-Or at Botanicanna explained to KWWL that the law forced them to remove a great deal of their "higher dose" items from their shelves. Many containers of their products went above the 4mg/gummy 10mg/container limit imposed.

The restrictions even went beyond gummies and beverages and impacted the topical creams and ointments Botanicanna sold. Bollinger-Or further added that the removal of those creams affects an older clientele who uses such items to combat pain relief.

Ultimately, the new regulations weren't worth fighting nor combatting in effort to keep the Dubuque location open. The closure of the Kennedy Mall store does not impact the company's other two locations, in Galena (228 North Main Street) nor Platteville (305 East Business HWY 151 Suite A).

If stores in Iowa are found to be in violation of this new law, they are subject to penalties that range from a misdemeanor to a Class B felony.

In the meantime, you can learn about Botanicanna's quest to educate consumers and encourage responsible cannabis use on their website and on their Facebook page.