Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) signed a bill that allows parents to purchase cannabis oil to treat their children who suffer from epilepsy. The effort was seen as a major victory for advocates who voraciously cornered Republican politicians in the state to demand that they be allowed to treat their children with a medicine that has shown to reduce the effects of seizures caused by their conditions.

Parents waged a historic campaign to influence their legislator’s opinions on cannabis oil, arguing that the tincture actually contains very little of the active chemical that causes people to get high. Governor Branstad, a former opponent of the law, congratulated parents on their victory saying: “This bill received tremendous support and truly shows the power of people talking to their legislators and to their governor about important issues to them, to their families and to their children.”

The bill comes into effect on July 1st and will prevent the prosecution of families who buy cannabis oil in states where it is legal. The parents will be required to have a doctor in their state sign off on the treatment and then acquire the oil from a legal locality.

The law comes on the back of good news from the federal House of Representatives in Washington D.C. which passed a bill last week that will stop the persecution of medical marijuana patients. The Republican controlled House voted 219-189 that will block the federal government from interfering with states that permit the use of medical cannabis.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said, “Despite this overwhelming shift of public opinion, the federal government continues its hard line of oppression against medical marijuana.”

Director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project Dan Riffle said that “Congress is officially pulling out of the war on medical marijuana patients and providers,”

[about_austin]