The Senate Health and Human Services committee passed a bill repealing protections for medical marijuana dispensaries against law enforcement.
Republican Sen. Jim Mehlhaff of Pierre introduced the bill. He said current medical marijuana laws are too restrictive for law enforcement.
“What it doesn’t allow them to do is just a simple compliance check which is what is often done at other places. So law enforcement believes that having these on the books just creates a very chilling effect from them being able to oversee these businesses and to make sure that they are staying in their lane,” said Mehlhaff.
Jeremiah Murphy is a lobbyist for The Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota. He said medical marijuana laws are still new in the state and should be left alone.
“The voters put this on the ballet, and in 2022 the legislature brought it up again. There were some people who wanted to through it out. It passed narrowly out of the Senate and was killed in the House Judiciary Committee. A nearly identical bill. The voters have spoken, and the legislature has spoken that these are good laws. So please let's let those first four sections rest,” said Murphy.
The committee voted to pass the bill on a four to one vote Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate floor.
