DES MOINES, IOWA — A bill that local businesses were advocating for, turned into a piece of legislation that could become detrimental to the legal hemp industry.

House File 2605 passed the Iowa House last week, with an amendment added to the bill. Originally, the bill would set the legal age to purchase and sell edible products with THC derived from legal hemp, and set criminal and civil penalties.

But the amendment added to the bill would have lots of local businesses have to wipe products off shelves.

“Put guardrails around Delta Nine products so people aren’t abusing that part of what’s being offered and not punish the other million and some odd folks here in Iowa that are using full spectrum non-psychoactive products throughout the state of Iowa,” said Rick Wagaman, the owner of HWCBD in West Des Moines.

The amendment would add restrictions on tetrahydrocannabinol concentration (THC) in products that are no more than two milligrams per serving and 10 milligrams per container.

“The amount of money Iowa is allowing to lose is absolutely ridiculous. They are quite literally losing tens of millions of dollars by by choice because the won’t allow us to follow the farm bill,” said Sabrina Bergloff, the Chief Operating Officer of Despensary in downtown Des Moines.

Both Bergloff and Wagaman were concerned about their customers first, and then discussed the implications of this bill if it was applied to law as it stands.

“From a business standpoint there is about 1,100 of us and about 3,000 employees across the state that are engaged in this health product. And for some of them it would shut them down,” said Wagaman.

The bill would still need to pass through the Iowa Senate for it to have a chance to become law.