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SF392 • 2026

A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Last action
2025-03-12
Official status
Withdrawn. S.J. 501 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    Withdrawn. S.J. 501 .

  2. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    HF 181 substituted. S.J. 500 .

  3. 2025-03-10 Iowa Legislature

    Attached to HF 181 . S.J. 456 .

  4. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 331 .

  5. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 322 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1098 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

392

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

392

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

JUDICIARY

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

1098)

(COMPANION

TO

HF

181

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

PUBLIC

SAFETY)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

prohibiting

open

containers

of

beverages

containing

1

tetrahydrocannabinol

in

the

passenger

area

of

motor

vehicles

2

on

highways,

and

making

penalties

applicable.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

TLSB

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th/ns

S.F.

392

Section

1.

Section

321.284,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

1

as

follows:

2

321.284

Open

containers

in

motor

vehicles

——

drivers.

3

1.

A

driver

of

person

operating

a

motor

vehicle

upon

a

4

public

street

or

highway

shall

not

possess

in

the

passenger

5

area

of

the

motor

vehicle

an

open

or

unsealed

bottle,

can,

6

jar,

or

other

receptacle

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

or

7

a

beverage

containing

any

amount

of

tetrahydrocannabinol

.

8

“Passenger

area”

means

the

area

designed

to

seat

the

driver

and

9

passengers

while

the

motor

vehicle

is

in

operation

and

any

area

10

that

is

readily

accessible

to

the

driver

or

a

passenger

while

11

in

their

seating

positions,

including

the

glove

compartment.

12

An

open

or

unsealed

receptacle

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

13

or

an

otherwise

lawful

beverage

containing

tetrahydrocannabinol

14

may

be

transported

in

the

trunk

of

the

motor

vehicle.

An

15

unsealed

receptacle

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

or

an

16

otherwise

lawful

beverage

containing

tetrahydrocannabinol

17

may

be

transported

behind

the

last

upright

seat

of

the

motor

18

vehicle

if

the

motor

vehicle

does

not

have

a

trunk.

A

person

19

convicted

of

a

violation

of

this

section

is

guilty

of

a

simple

20

misdemeanor

punishable

as

a

scheduled

violation

under

section

21

805.8A,

subsection

14

,

paragraph

“e”

.

22

2.

A

person

under

the

age

of

twenty-one

who

violates

23

possesses

an

alcoholic

beverage

in

violation

of

this

section

is

24

guilty

of

a

violation

of

section

123.47

.

25

Sec.

2.

Section

321.284A,

subsections

1

and

4,

Code

2025,

26

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

27

1.

A

passenger

in

a

motor

vehicle

upon

a

public

street

28

or

highway

shall

not

possess

in

the

passenger

area

of

the

29

motor

vehicle

an

open

or

unsealed

bottle,

can,

jar,

or

other

30

receptacle

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

or

a

beverage

31

containing

any

amount

of

tetrahydrocannabinol

.

“Passenger

32

area”

means

the

area

of

a

motor

vehicle

designed

to

seat

the

33

driver

and

passengers

while

the

motor

vehicle

is

in

operation

34

and

any

area

that

is

readily

accessible

to

the

driver

or

a

35

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392

passenger

while

in

their

seating

positions,

including

the

glove

1

compartment.

An

open

or

unsealed

receptacle

containing

an

2

alcoholic

beverage

or

an

otherwise

lawful

beverage

containing

3

tetrahydrocannabinol

may

be

transported

in

the

trunk

of

4

the

motor

vehicle.

An

unsealed

receptacle

containing

an

5

alcoholic

beverage

or

an

otherwise

lawful

beverage

containing

6

tetrahydrocannabinol

may

be

transported

behind

the

last

upright

7

seat

of

the

motor

vehicle

if

the

motor

vehicle

does

not

have

a

8

trunk.

9

4.

A

person

under

the

age

of

twenty-one

years

who

violates

10

possesses

an

alcoholic

beverage

in

violation

of

this

section

is

11

guilty

of

a

violation

of

section

123.47

.

12

EXPLANATION

13

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

14

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

15

Under

current

law,

the

driver

of

a

motor

vehicle

and

16

passengers,

other

than

passengers

being

transported

in

a

17

motor

vehicle

designed,

maintained,

or

used

primarily

for

the

18

transportation

of

persons

for

compensation,

and

passengers

19

being

transported

in

the

living

quarters

of

a

motor

home,

20

motorsports

recreational

vehicle,

manufactured

or

mobile

home,

21

travel

trailer,

or

fifth-wheel

travel

trailer,

are

prohibited

22

from

possessing

in

the

passenger

area

of

the

motor

vehicle

23

an

open

or

unsealed

bottle,

can,

jar,

or

other

receptacle

24

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

while

the

vehicle

is

operated

25

on

a

public

street

or

highway.

An

open

or

unsealed

receptacle

26

containing

an

alcoholic

beverage

may

be

transported

in

the

27

trunk

of

the

motor

vehicle

or

behind

the

last

upright

seat

of

28

the

motor

vehicle

if

the

motor

vehicle

does

not

have

a

trunk.

29

This

bill

similarly

prohibits

a

driver

and

passenger

from

30

possessing

an

open

container

of

an

otherwise

lawful

beverage

31

containing

tetrahydrocannabinol

(THC).

A

lawful

beverage

32

containing

THC

must

not

exceed

0.3

percent

on

a

dry

weight

33

basis,

is

limited

to

4

milligrams

of

THC

(on

a

dry

weight

34

basis)

per

serving

and

10

milligrams

of

THC

(on

a

dry

weight

35

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392

basis)

per

container,

and

must

hold

a

minimum

of

12

ounces

(641

1

IAC

156.1),

in

addition

to

certain

labeling

requirements

under

2

Code

chapter

204

(hemp

and

hemp

products).

3

By

operation

of

law,

a

person

who

violates

the

open

container

4

prohibitions

in

Code

section

321.284

(driver)

or

321.284A

5

(passenger),

including

by

possessing

an

open

container

of

an

6

otherwise

lawful

beverage

containing

THC,

commits

a

simple

7

misdemeanor

punishable

by

a

$260

scheduled

fine.

8

-3-

LSB

1427SV

(1)

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th/ns

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