South Dakota takes a step to approve medical marijuana rules

The legislative body responsible for approving the rules for South Dakota’s new medical marijuana law has approved a number of legislative proposals and sent other proposals back for review, a critical administrative step in the implementation of the new statewide program.

The legislature’s rules review committee on Monday “gave the go-ahead for most of the 124 pages of proposed medical cannabis regulations in South Dakota by the Department of Health,” local television station KELO reported.

However, the committee rejected other proposed regulations. According to the Associated Press, the panel’s lawmakers opposed a proposal that “limited the amount of highly potent marijuana patients could possess, requiring doctors to write one recommendation and one for patients to grow more than three cannabis plants.” List of conditions defined that would qualify for medical marijuana referral. “

All in all, according to KELO, the committee sent “half a dozen of the proposals” back to the Ministry of Health for review.

Other rules approved by the committee included one that, according to the AP, “stipulated an application fee of US $ 75 for medical marijuana cards and a reduction in the fee to US $ 20 for low-income applicants,” and another that included “a state license fee of US $ 5,000 for all “designated medical marijuana facility.”

The Associated Press noted that “a large number of lobbyists representing both medical groups and the cannabis industry protested some rules, although almost all of them praised the Department of Health’s rulemaking process.” The Department of Health was also greeted by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

“I commend the Department of Health for their hard work streamlining the process,” she said in a statement, as quoted by the Associated Press. “South Dakota will continue to implement the best, most patient-centric medical cannabis program in the country.”

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Compromise in South Dakota

Still, not everyone was so enthusiastic about the proposals. Troy Heinert, the Democratic Chairman of the South Dakota Senate, represented the only vote on the committee against the proposed regulations.

“When I speak to people all over the state, they wanted it to be legalized, taxed, and done. I think we made it harder than necessary, ”Heinert is quoted by KELO. “From our side of the aisle, we’re all about freedom.”

In fact, many leaders have been reluctant to adopt the new medical marijuana law, despite 70 percent of South Dakota voters approving the measure that legalized treatment in last year’s election.

The law officially went into effect on July 1, but so far the only pharmacy that has opened its doors to customers is one on an Indian reservation on the eastern edge of the state.

Noem, a possible Republican presidential candidate, has said that state highway patrol officers will not honor tribal medical cannabis cards if issued to non-tribal members.

She has also appeared in PSAs all summer explaining how the state intends to implement the law.

“One of my duties as governor is to ensure that the will of the people and all constitutional laws are enforced. The medical cannabis program is on schedule and we are working to implement a responsible program that follows voters’ instructions, ”Noem said in the ad.

The state has announced that sales are expected to begin next summer. Meanwhile, communities across South Dakota are developing their own local regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries. Last week, members of the Sioux Falls City Council, the largest city in South Dakota, approved a number of proposals, including one to limit the number of pharmacies to five.