Law enforcement officials say the number of arrests for possession of marijuana is not on the rise in South Dakota even though it is now legal to buy and sell just two states away in Colorado.
Major Dana Svendsen is the Assistant Superintendent for the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
He says many of those cited for possession say they did however purchase the marijuana in Colorado.
“Actually, what our numbers are showing, we’re actually down a few arrests for the same period as last year. At this time last year we had 347 arrests for possession of marijuana and this year we’re at 340 so we’re actually down seven from this same time period last year,” says Svendsen.
Major Svendsen says arrests for possession of drug paraphernalia in the state are also down from this time last year. He reminds residents that buying, selling, and/or possessing marijuana is still illegal in South Dakota and those that do get caught with it can face penalties of up to fifteen years in prison and a thirty-thousand dollar fine.
