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Iowa Cannabis Action Network Volunteer Handbook

Version 2026-2 · Read, then sign the acknowledgment at the end

Iowa Cannabis Action Network, Inc. · Altoona, Iowa

Welcome

Thank you for volunteering with the Iowa Cannabis Action Network. Iowa Cannabis Action is a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit advocating for sensible cannabis policy across Iowa: real medical access for patients, decriminalization, and protections for hemp farmers and businesses. We educate the public, build community, and advocate directly at the Capitol.

Volunteers are how a small organization does statewide work. This handbook covers what our programs are, what we expect from each other, and how to stay safe and effective while you represent Iowa Cannabis Action. Questions at any time: hello@iowacannabisaction.org.

What We Do — and Don't Do

Iowa Cannabis Action Network is an education and advocacy organization. Our first priorities are decriminalizing cannabis in Iowa and standing with Iowa's medical cannabis patients for safe, fair, affordable access. We also support full legalization.

We do not grow, sell, give away, or distribute cannabis, cannabis or hemp-derived THC products, or seeds, and we do not refer anyone to sources for them. Patients should get products only through Iowa's licensed Medical Cannabidiol program, with guidance from their health care provider. Iowa Victory Gardens grows food, not cannabis. Our events and materials are for education only and are not medical or legal advice.

Our Programs

  • Community Outreach — Turning supporters into participants: event tables, community conversations, petition and sign-up drives, and bringing a neighbor to the next thing. Outreach ramps up as the legislature returns each January.
  • Membership — Welcoming new supporters, keeping member lists and contacts in good order, and helping our growing community stay connected (including the newsletter list).
  • Communications — The weekly rhythm of Iowa Cannabis Action's Facebook Page and the Iowa Victory Gardens community group: patient education, community stories, session updates. Writing, photography, design, and social media help all live here.
  • Events — Planning and staffing Iowa Cannabis Action events and appearances: setup, greeting, materials, teardown.
  • Iowa Victory Gardens — Iowa Cannabis Action's community initiative for food security: neighbors growing food and looking out for each other. Garden workdays are the most hands-on volunteering we do — and the most fun.

You'll be placed where your interests and availability fit; many volunteers help in more than one program.

Getting Started

  1. Tell us three things: where in Iowa you're based, roughly how many hours a month you'd like to give, and what you enjoy doing. That's how we match you to a first project.
  2. Read this handbook and sign the acknowledgment at the end.
  3. Start small. Your first project will be something bounded and real, with a named person to ask when you're unsure. Nobody gets thrown into the deep end.

Expectations

  • Be reliable. If you commit to a shift or a task, we plan around you. Life happens — just tell us early when it does.
  • Communicate. Answer coordinator messages within a couple of days, even if the answer is "not this month."
  • Represent Iowa Cannabis Action accurately. Use the talking points you're given; if you don't know an answer, say so and connect the person to us. Never guess at law or policy in Iowa Cannabis Action's name.
  • Log your hours (below). Hours are how we show funders, the board, and the legislature the size of this movement.

Logging Your Hours

By the last day of each month, email your hours to hello@iowacannabisaction.org: your name, the dates, the program, and what you did, in whatever simple format you like (a list is fine). Example: "Oct 12 — Outreach — 2 hrs — table at farmers market." If a month had none, a quick "zero this month" keeps your file current.

Safety Guidelines

  • Work in pairs for door-to-door or unfamiliar settings, and never after dark alone. Tell someone where you'll be.
  • Events: know where the first-aid kit, water, and exits are before doors open. Lift with help; hydration and shade are real concerns at summer events and garden days.
  • Weather: Iowa weather cancels events. When a coordinator calls it off for storms or extreme heat/cold, it's off — no heroics.
  • Driving: Iowa Cannabis Action doesn't ask anyone to drive in dangerous conditions. If a trip feels unsafe, it is; call it in.
  • Plants and products: Volunteers never sell, give away, share, or arrange cannabis, cannabis or hemp-derived THC products, or seeds at Iowa Cannabis Action activities or in our name. If someone asks where to get cannabis, point patients to Iowa's licensed Medical Cannabidiol program and their health care provider. Iowa Cannabis Action events comply with Iowa law as it stands today — we're working to change it, not break it.
  • Report problems — injuries, confrontations, anything that felt off — to your coordinator the same day.

Code of Conduct

  • Respect every person — supporters, patients, legislators, opponents, each other. We persuade; we don't harass, demean, or ambush. No harassment or discrimination of any kind is tolerated.
  • Patient stories are sacred. Many Iowans we serve are medical cannabis patients. Never share anyone's story, photo, name, or health details without their clear permission. When in doubt, don't share.
  • Speak for yourself unless you're designated. Volunteers may say "I volunteer with Iowa Cannabis Action." Only designated spokespeople give statements as Iowa Cannabis Action or talk to press on Iowa Cannabis Action's behalf — route media requests to hello@iowacannabisaction.org.
  • Know the legal lines:
    • Iowa Cannabis Action is a 501(c)(4), so lobbying is part of our mission — advocating for bills and rules is exactly what we're here for.
    • Our voter education is nonpartisan. Volunteers do not endorse, campaign for, or oppose candidates in Iowa Cannabis Action's name or while representing Iowa Cannabis Action.
    • Contributions to Iowa Cannabis Action are not tax-deductible. If a donor asks, say so plainly — we pride ourselves on that honesty.
  • Keep internal matters internal. Volunteer lists, member contacts, and internal discussions stay inside Iowa Cannabis Action.
  • Conflicts of interest: if you have a financial or professional interest in the cannabis or hemp industry, that's welcome here — just disclose it to your coordinator, the way our board members disclose theirs.

Who to Contact

Interim version, pending legal review. This document has been adopted for use while our attorney reviews it. If it changes, we'll ask you to sign the new version, and your signed copy of this one stays yours.

Signed. Thank you! A signed copy is on its way to your email. The organizers have a copy too.

Volunteer Acknowledgment

I have read the Iowa Cannabis Action Network Volunteer Handbook. I understand the expectations, safety guidelines, and code of conduct, including the rules on patient privacy, speaking for Iowa Cannabis Action, nonpartisan voter education, and never selling or distributing cannabis, and I agree to follow them while volunteering.

* Required

We record your typed name, email, the date and time, and the handbook version. Nothing else is kept on this website.