Medical cannabis patients in South Dakota can officially apply for cards

Eligible patients in South Dakota can officially apply for a medical cannabis card under a new law that had an awkward introduction.

A statement published Monday on a state government website on the new medical cannabis program said doctors “can now access the medical cannabis patient portal and begin certifying medical cannabis patients.”

“After the medical certificate, the patients can access the online application process and fill out their applications,” says the message. “Approved applicants will receive a medical cannabis patient card in the mail.”

The announcement comes two weeks after a law committee approved the revised rules issued by the Ministry of Health last month.

The Department’s announcement on Monday puts an end to months of uncertainty and disputes over the new medical marijuana law, which was passed overwhelmingly by South Dakota voters in last year’s elections.

The law went into effect July 1, but no pharmacies were open that day, except for one that opened an Indian reservation in the state.

State government officials looked suspiciously at the cards of the tribal pharmacy; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said at the time that the state’s highway patrol would not recognize tribal cards for non-tribe people.

Outside of this pharmacy, medical marijuana sales in South Dakota are not expected to begin until 2022.

Widely viewed as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, Noem appeared in public announcements aired in the state for much of that year discussing the new medical marijuana 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 one of the advertisements.

But the ads caused controversy last month when it was revealed they were paid for with more than $ 300,000 in taxpayers’ money.

The ads failed to resonate with some critics, who stated that Noem was against the medical marijuana proposal throughout the 2020 campaign and that the PSAs offered little useful information.

South Dakota voters also voted for a nomination to legalize adult recreational marijuana use, but that law also faced obstacles posed by Noem. The election proposal, a constitutional amendment known as Amendment A, was rejected by a judge in South Dakota in February after two state law enforcement officers challenged it on Noem’s behalf.

The judge ruled against the change, saying it had “profound implications for the fundamental nature of South Dakota’s system of government.”

Noem celebrated the verdict.

“Today’s decision protects and protects our constitution,” Noem said in a statement at the time. “I am confident that if the South Dakota Supreme Court is asked to intervene, it will come to the same conclusion.”

The state Supreme Court is still deliberating on the matter, but meanwhile a legislative body has tabled a recommendation for lawmakers to pursue a bill that would legalize recreational pots at a 15 percent tax rate on sale.

The special committee had been investigating the matter for six months since last spring before making its formal recommendation late last month.