Medical marijuana is a controversial topic that continues to make headlines across the county.   It came up during this year’s legislative session, but District 19 State Representative Ralph Watts says no one thought it would go anywhere this year.

But just as the session is about to start wrapping up, a limited cannabis oil bill has surfaced.  Though it’s not your typical marijuana, Watts says some believe it has the same medical affects.

“It’s not smokable, it’s an oil derived from the plant.  There’s a group of folks that are working on, what I understand, a possible bill that would allow the oil, which it would have to be certified, it’d have to be produced and certified by a lab as to it’s content.  People could get a prescription to buy that.  They wouldn’t be fabricated here in Iowa, you’d have to go some place else to get it but people could get a prescription to allow it” says Watts.

Watts says he’s not sure if anything will come of the bill or not this session but like many others, he’s concerned about it progressing into full legalization of marijuana, which he’s not in favor of for several reasons.

“If you’re working in an industry that has some hazard to it already, like if you’re working on high voltage electric equipment or heavy duty equipment.  You want to make sure that everybody that’s working within a short distance of each other, that they’re capable and aware, and they’re not limited by anything that would limit their ability to do their work.  Sometimes, your life depends on what the guy next to you does.  I don’t want marijuana interfering with that kind of a situation.”

So far, the bill has not yet been debated and with just a few days left this session it’s unclear if it will have a chance to be considered or not.