DES MOINES, Iowa -- Democrats in the Iowa House and Senate want a debate this session on legalizing recreation marijuana.
"Why would we waste the opportunity to get revenue that other states get? I know somebody who went to Missouri (where recreational marijuana is legal) last weekend. A lot of tax revenue got left behind," says Polk County Democratic Representative and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst.
As neighboring states like Missouri, Illinois, and soon Minnesota, legalize recreational pot, she says their bill for Iowa increasingly reflects what a majority of people want.
"It's not necessarily what's politically possible this year, but we need to push it because we need to tell our fellow legislators we're talking about things your constituents are asking us for. This isn't an urban issue or a rural issue, this isn't a red or blue issue," Konfrst says.
She says their recreational marijuana bill isn't "pro-pot."
"I'm telling you, this isn't an issue that you want to be on the wrong side of, because it's growing. This isn't a partisan issue. We have Democrats who like it, Republicans who like it, and people with no party affiliation who like it," Konfrst says.
The Democrats' bill would let Iowans over the age of 21 to buy marijuana for recreational use from a licensed retail store. There is a 10-percent excise tax and a one-percent local option surcharge with revenue going to public schools, mental health services, and local public safety.
The bill also calls for decreasing penalties for marijuana possession and expunging records for non-violent marijuana convictions.
The recreational marijuana bill will be formally introduced Wednesday morning, but isn't likely to go far with the Legislature's Republican majority.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Steven Holt, a Republican representative from Crawford County, says he's been clear in the past he doesn't think marijuana legalization is the right path forward for Iowa.
He says it's not an issue that has received much support from the Judiciary committee in his time as chair, and he doesn't expect this session to be different.