Three Senate Democrats are proposing a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana possession in Iowa for anyone who’s 21 or older. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, says it’s time to regulate marijuana like alcohol.
It takes years to amend the Iowa Constitution and this proposal faces a tough road ahead in a Republican-led legislature. The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he has no intentions of bringing the proposal up for a vote. Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale says proposing recreational marijuana in Iowa is a gimmick and it shows Senate Democrats lack ideas to solve the problems Iowans face.