Police in Carroll and Muscatine recently went into five stores and seized CBD-oil products, claiming they contain illegal marijuana. This has stirred debate and concerns around the entire state of Iowa, for business owners and their customer base.
The main cause for concern is two-fold; business owners were under the impression they were selling products in legal form, and customers could potentially be at risk if they are found in possession of these products. There also seems to be no consistency among the confiscation of products or the testing to confirm the products are in fact illegal.
For example, police did not test all of the products seized for containing CBD-oil. According to Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren, the police were not required to test all products seized because the labels stated they contained cannabis and the police were not filing any criminal charges in association with the seizures.
What is the process law enforcement is currently taking to determine whether these products are legal or not? Do they have authority to seize them from business owners without proof? At what point do we consider the product illegal; is it hemp or illegal marijuana?