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Medical marijuana expanding in Iowa after Branstad OKs bill

The Des Moines Register: Iowans suffering from a range of diseases and illnesses gain access to medicinal marijuana under a bill signed into law on Friday by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

The measure, House File 524, expands access to cannabis oil to include patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, seizures, AIDS or HIV, Crohn's disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, as well as most terminal illnesses that involve a life expectancy of less than one year and untreatable pain.

With Branstad’s signature, the law takes effect immediately, making medical marijuana available to potentially thousands more Iowans than under an existing law limited to those with epilepsy.

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