An effort to tighten restrictions medicinal cannabis patients must navigate is killed by the House Health and Human Services committee.
Aberdeen Republican Rep. Al Novstrup is the primary sponsor. He said the bill will clamp down on access to medicinal products, describing the change as quote “minor but major.”
“The dispensaries are four times more common than a Walmart, they are more than double than a McDonalds," Novstrup said. "So, if someone says it’s been a tough program – it just isn’t working – the answer is you’ve got 67 places to buy it. The physicians, physicians assistants, and advanced practical nurses – anyone want to take a guess how many doctors have signed up for that program? 303.”
In 2020, South Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved a marijuana legalization package at the polls.
On the other hand is Jerimiah Murphy, lobbying on behalf of the South Dakota Cannabis Industry Association. He said advocates are misrepresenting the real prevalence of medical marijuana in South Dakota.
“I’d ask you to compare the number of fast-food locations to South Dakota dispensaries and I think you’d find the ratio is about 100:1," Murphy said. "You can select one brand and make facts look like what you want, but apples to apples that comparison doesn’t really hold up. South Dakota medical cannabis cards – in January 2024 there were 13,150. Today there are 11,497. The program has shrunk by 11 or 12 percent.”
Murphy said the group believes regulations are already so strict in South Dakota many medical users have given up hope of navigating the system.