× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

A proposed change in Iowa’s medical marijuana law was “too much of a jump” for Gov. Kim Reynolds, who said her own battle with addiction entered into her decision to veto the legislation.

“It was a tough, tough, tough call for me,” the governor said Monday about her veto of House File 732. The bill, approved earlier this year 96-3 by the House and 40-7 by the Senate, would have removed the 3 percent cap on THC and instead limited the amount of medical cannabis a patient could be prescribed at any one time to 25 grams over 90 days.

An increase that size could not be justified, she said. A marijuana gummy that can be purchased legally in Colorado contains between 5 and 25 milligrams of THC, the main mind-altering ingredient found in marijuana, Reynolds said. That equates to 277 milligrams of THC a day — five times higher than recommended by the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board.

“That was too much of a jump for me,” Reynolds said on WHO Radio.

Supporters said the 3 percent cap limits the effectiveness against most ailments. But Reynolds said she prefers to follow the recommendation of the state medical cannabis board, which recommended a prescription cap of 4.5 grams per 90 days. She’s said she’s not opposed to raising the cap because “I know it works for people.”