Medical cannabis will be legal in South Dakota on July 1, 2021. To provide information on the program and answer resident questions, the South Dakota Department of Health, the South Dakota Department of Education, and Governor Kristi Noem have launched medcannabis.sd.gov.
The medical marijuana program was passed by South Dakota voters in Initiated Measure 26 in November 2020. Now, the people of South Dakota have the recently created state website to ensure access to resources to learn about the program.
At the release of the website, Governor Kristi Noem stated, “I want South Dakota to have the best, most patient-focused medical cannabis program in the country. I’ve heard from people who are hurting and are hopeful for relief. My team is 100% committed to starting this program as quickly and as responsibly as possible for South Dakota.”
In addition to the website, the South Dakota Department of Health is conducting two telephone town halls regarding medical cannabis.
All interested parties are invited to participate in this opportunity to provide input on the implementation of IM-26. This will provide an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback on the rule-making process for medical cannabis. The town halls will take place June 28, 2021, at 5:00 PM CT (First Session) and June 28, 2021, at 6:30 PM CT (Second Session). You must register here by 2 PM CT on June 22, 2021 in order to attend. More information on the town hall can be found at: https://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=28196. For more information on IM-26, visit: https://medcannabis.sd.gov/.
The South Dakota Legislature’s Medical Marijuana Study Subcommittee met Monday, June 21st regarding the official legalization of medical marijuana across the state, this July 1. The subcommittee heard from Executive Director of the SD Municipal League, Yvonne Taylor and South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) Director of Fiscal Policy, Sarah Aker, regarding IM 26 language revisions.
Additionally, the subcommittee heard from Dr. Kenneth Finn, a Colorado Springs physician who served on the Governor’s task force when recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado. Finn’s testimony included data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey regarding prevalence of cannabis use across Colorado youth. Medical Marijuana Division Director of North Dakota’s Department of Health, Jason Wahl also spoke at the meeting. The subcommittee then heard Tribal perspectives, including Ross Garelick Bell from Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, whose testimony mentioned the differences in Tribal policy statements and the need for Tribal identification cards to be considered an acceptable form of ID.
The subcommittee then heard public testimony, including a speaker from the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota. The meeting closed with subcommittee discussion and comments.
