Democrats in the Iowa Legislature are calling on their Republican counterparts to hold a special legislative session to override Gov. Kim Reynolds' veto of an expansion of the state's medical marijuana program.

But while Republican legislative leaders said the issue will be a top priority for them in 2020, they called the possibility of a special session "ill-advised," making it all but certain that Reynolds' veto will stand.

For Iowans like Joe Bohnert of Des Moines, who participates in the state's medical marijuana program to treat pain and other side effects stemming from his multiple sclerosis, it's "outrageous" that Reynolds would veto the expansion and delay any action by another year.

The current medicine Bohnert gets through the program isn't strong enough to fully manage his symptoms, he said.

"I’ve tried the cannabis oil that’s available now and it works a little bit, but not very much. And it’s way too expensive for me to afford," he said.

The law would have increased the potency of available medical marijuana products and expanded the list of people eligible to become patients. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said at a news conference Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol that those Iowans have waited long enough for effective treatment.

"There is no reason to wait until next year to help the people that are suffering," Bolkcom said.

The measure passed the Legislature by a vote of 96-3 in the House and 40-7 in the Senate. Two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber are needed in order to request a special legislative session, meaning a substantial number of Republicans — who have a majority in both chambers — would have to join Democrats in their request.

Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday they have not identified any Republicans who have said they will support calling a special session.

In announcing her veto on Friday, Reynolds said the state should act cautiously in expanding the program.

The current medical cannabidiol program allows capsules, extracts, concentrates, lotions, ointments and tinctures. Smoking medical or recreational marijuana remains prohibited in Iowa. The bill that Reynolds vetoed would have allowed legal medical marijuana to contain more THC — the chemical that makes recreational marijuana users high — than currently permitted in products made and sold in the state.

Reynolds said she agreed with most of the changes in the bill, but a provision that would have replaced a 3% THC limit on products with a limit of 25 grams of THC in a 90-day period "just was too much of a jump."

The board in April recommended removing the THC percentage cap and replacing it with a THC limit of 4.5 grams over a 90-day period.

Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale and a pharmacist, said that recommendation is not a high enough dosage for many Iowans.

"As a pharmacist, I would have a very difficult time supporting what the medical cannabis board is recommending," he said at the news conference. Forbes said he has twice requested to meet with Reynolds to discuss the bill, but her staff hadn't responded.

Several Republicans said they were disappointed with Reynolds' veto, but indicated a special session is unlikely.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said she believes the best course of action is to craft a new bill over the next several months to be considered when the Legislature returns to the Capitol in January.

"While there were many good things in the bill, I don’t know if it has the consensus necessary at this point to override a veto, so a special session would be ill-advised," Upmeyer said in a statement.

Reynolds told reporters Tuesday that she's willing to sit down with lawmakers between now and January to develop a compromise.

"I look forward to sitting down with them over the interim. More than happy to work with them. So I’m all in on that. And we’ll get there; we’ll find what that balance is," she said.

The last time Iowa lawmakers successfully called a special session to override a governor's veto was in 2006, when legislators overrode Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack's veto of a bill that placed greater restrictions on how and when the government can take private property. That vote was the first time in more than 40 years that state lawmakers successfully voted to override a governor's veto.