DES MOINES, Iowa — Sunmed | Your CBD Store, a provider of non-pharmaceutical wellness products, seeks urgent support from consumers, small business advocates, and the community in general to challenge the recent Iowa “Hemp Amendments” — House File 2605 and House File 2641 — which criminalize the manufacture and sale of otherwise legal full spectrum hemp and narrow the definition of legal, consumable wellness products, thus depriving Iowans of safe and effective relief options.
Sunmed | Your CBD Store, along with eight other hemp retailers, has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Iowa, arguing that the Hemp Amendments are unconstitutionally vague and enacted without due process, represent an unfair taking by the State of lawful businesses, and cause more harm than benefits to Iowans. The Court will hold a preliminary injunction hearing on Thursday, July 11, to determine whether the state can enforce this legislation during the pendency of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit highlights several constitutional violations by the Hemp Amendments, including breaches of the Supremacy Clause, Commerce Clause, Due Process Clause, and Takings Clause. “The 2018 Farm Bill clearly defines hemp and includes an express preemption clause that forbids the kind of overreach Iowa is attempting,” said Lacie Navin, Owner of Des Moines Sunmed | Your CBD Store retail location. “Iowa’s Hemp Amendments are unconstitutional and harmful to both small businesses and consumers seeking natural alternatives for health concerns.”
The new Hemp Amendments, signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on May 17, 2024, and largely effective beginning July 1, 2024, criminalize the manufacture and sale of hemp products that have been federally legal and compliant with Iowa law since 2018. This sudden regulatory change leaves Iowa hemp businesses in a state of uncertainty and poses irreparable harm, with an estimated 75 percent or more of inventory potentially impacted and no grace period provided for the transition to the new law.
Sunmed | Your CBD Store is proud of its commitment to small business owners, the safety of its well-tested, hemp-derived formulations, and the benefits consumers receive. Sunmed | Your CBD Store has always welcomed appropriate regulation and enforcement to ensure consumer safety and product integrity. However, the Hemp Amendments essentially eliminate the hemp industry in its totality.
“Politicians say this bill attempts to regulate dangerous and misleading products particularly targeting children, yet every Sunmed | Your CBD Store complies with strict regulatory guidelines. Our products meet, and more often than not exceed, the highest safety and compliance standards formulated with a stringent quality control process. All of our edible products are manufactured with childproof packaging and are marketed exclusively to adults.” said Marcus Quinn, CEO of Sunmed | Your CBD Store. “Moreover, all sales are restricted to individuals over 21 of age and displayed in supplement-like packaging, ensuring our products do not target children.”
Lacie Navin emphasized the adverse impact on local businesses and consumers: “The Hemp Amendments are excessive and vague. As a local business owner, I have worked hard over the past 5 years to provide my community with full spectrum hemp products that are now, in an instant, deemed illegal. This is not only unfair to consumers who rely on these products to function but also to business owners who are trying to navigate an ever-changing legal landscape.”
The fight to protect the Iowa hemp industry and the rights of lawful, legitimate small businesses comes to a head on July 11, 2024, at the preliminary injunction hearing. Sunmed | Your CBD Store is calling on the community to lawfully support this cause by objecting to and opposing the Hemp Amendments through social media, friends and family, local media and press, and politicians. Your participation and support will help continue to provide safe, compliant wellness products to Iowans in need, and is crucial in this fight for the hemp industry and the health and welfare of thousands of Iowans.
About Sunmed | Your CBD Store
Sunmed | Your CBD Store is the largest hemp retailer in the United States and the exclusive home of award-winning, hemp-derived Sunmed products. With 300+ nationwide locations across 42 states, the brand offers a premium in-store customer experience with access to 150+ nonpharmaceutical wellness formulas, including clinically proven sleep gummies, pain relief topicals, USDA-organic oil tinctures, and CBD for pets. Through in-store education, community involvement, and groundbreaking clinical research, Sunmed strives to empower modern wellness and enhance people’s lives with natural science-backed products.
