cannabis

Tim Blakeley, manager of Sunset Junction medical marijuana dispensary, shows marijuana plant buds on May 11, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Medical marijuana cards surpass 11,500

BY: - August 21, 2023

More than 11,500 South Dakotans hold medical marijuana cards two years after medical cannabis became legal in South Dakota. That’s well ahead of projections made by the state when the program first started in 2021, said Jennifer Seale, the state Department of Health’s medical cannabis program administrator. The state began issuing cards in November 2021 […]

(Carol Yepes/Getty Images)

Draft language released for potential recreational marijuana ballot measure

BY: - August 11, 2023

South Dakota voters could have another chance to legalize recreational marijuana next year. The state’s voters rejected recreational cannabis legalization in 2022, 53% to 47%. The new petition comes from Matthew Schweich, of Sioux Falls, a longtime leader in pro-marijuana efforts. On Friday, state Attorney General Marty Jackley fulfilled his legal obligation to release a […]

The Department of Public Safety Building in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Law enforcement commission offers forgiveness for marijuana use

BY: - July 12, 2023

Two law enforcement hopefuls were offered forgiveness for cannabis use by the South Dakota Law Enforcement Officers Standards Commission on Wednesday in Pierre.  The vote for Parkston Police Officer Kody Beckers makes him eligible for certification in the state in spite of a seven-year-old guilty plea to THC wax possession during his freshman year of […]

Hemp grows at Papa G’s Organic Hemp Farm in Crawford County, Indiana, in 2022. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Noem vetoes bill that would increase THC limits for hemp processing

BY: - March 23, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem vetoed a bill Thursday that would increase the amount of THC that industrial hemp processors can have in their products. THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound in cannabis plants that produces a high when present in sufficient amounts. Hemp, unlike its cousin marijuana, is low in THC. Hemp plants can be […]

A neon sign advertises delta-8 products at a store in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Recreational marijuana is illegal, but its high-inducing cousins are widespread

BY: - February 25, 2023

Recreational marijuana is illegal in South Dakota – voters confirmed as much in November – but the next best thing is available from border to border. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation of hemp. By extension, it legalized two cannabinoids called delta-8 and delta-10 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which occur naturally in tiny amounts in the […]

Tim Blakeley, manager of Sunset Junction medical marijuana dispensary, shows marijuana plant buds on May 11, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

State medical cannabis programs failing to make enough progress, advocacy group finds

BY: - February 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — A report from a patient advocacy group found the future of medical cannabis in the states is hazy unless costs are decreased, product safety standards are improved, and civil rights are strengthened for patients and prescribers.  Americans for Safe Access issued its annual State of the States report on Thursday. The organization, a […]

(Carol Yepes/Getty Images)

Lawmakers look to restrict expansion of medical cannabis conditions

BY: - November 16, 2022

Lawmakers want to make it more difficult to expand the list of conditions that might qualify a citizen for a medical marijuana card. South Dakota’s voter-backed medical marijuana statute includes a clause that allows patients to petition the state Department of Health (DOH) to add “debilitating” medical conditions to the list of ailments treatable by […]

A Sioux Falls election polling place on the morning of Nov. 8, 2022. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Voters back Medicaid expansion, lean against recreational cannabis

BY: - November 9, 2022

South Dakotans voted to expand eligibility for the state’s Medicaid programs Tuesday. Constitutional Amendment D was winning with 56% of the vote as of 1 a.m. Nov. 9, or roughly 166,879 votes. While the state is one of 12 that hadn’t expanded eligibility for its Medicaid programs, it was the only state to feature the […]

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks to supporters on Nov. 7, 2022, in Rapid City. (Kevin Eilbeck for South Dakota Searchlight)

Campaigns make final pitches to South Dakota voters

BY: - November 7, 2022

Campaigns made their final pitches to voters on Monday ahead of an election that will see South Dakotans decide on a governor and other statewide offices, as well as the legal status of recreational marijuana and the expansion of Medicaid. Incumbent Republican Gov. Kristi Noem and her opponent, Democrat Jamie Smith, traversed the state over […]