South Dakota
South Dakota Medical Marijuana Industry Pushes For Rules Changes As Program Enrollment Dwindles
“Is this program working, and do the rules make sense? Yes for public safety, but do they make sense for the people trying to run businesses?”
By John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight
Cannabis industry advocates said Monday that they need representation on the state’s Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee.
The committee also learned that the number of patient cards issued in South Dakota has continued to fall since a February peak, sparking concern from the group’s patient representative about marijuana card denials.
South Dakota’s medical cannabis program is governed by both state law and a set of administrative rules interpreting those laws for use in the day-to-day operations of the program.
The issues presented by the cannabis industry on Monday were largely related to rules, not the medical pot chapter of South Dakota law. Most of those issues could be resolved through the rulemaking process, but the committee didn’t review any potential rule changes at its meeting in Pierre.
That’s in part because of an early deadline for rules this year. Rules need to be posted, and the public needs time to comment on changes, before getting approval from the state’s Rules Review Committee.
That committee’s final meeting before the 2025 legislative session came last month, which was earlier than previous years.
Emily Kerr of the health department told the committee that there wasn’t enough time to write new rules and hold public hearings after the 2024 legislative session.
“We really want to take the time to have robust conversations with legislators and industry,” she said.
Staffing was also mentioned as a hurdle for rule changes. The program recently hired three more people to help administer the cannabis program, but they’ve only been on the job a few months.
Industry: Rules push up prices
Pot lobbyist Jeremiah Murphy told the committee he understands that timing was an issue this year, in part because the health department runs the program with minimal staffing.
But he also said the committee is failing to address important operational issues that relate to its statutorily required duty to oversee the program and make recommendations to help make sure cannabis is accessible to patients at reasonable prices.
A change to state law in 2023 altered the committee’s makeup, which had originally required the inclusion of three medical cannabis patients. Now, there is one patient, and everyone else on the committee is in law enforcement, lawmaking or a part of the medical community.
Murphy said the lack of operational knowledge has allowed rules that push up the price of doing business—and, in turn, push up the price of cannabis for patients—to go unchallenged.
“We’d like to see the focus turn to include, more broadly, operations,” Murphy said. “Is this program working, and do the rules make sense? Yes for public safety, but do they make sense for the people trying to run businesses?”
Murphy’s only ask for the committee’s lawmakers was for them to consider adjusting the committee’s makeup by changing state law. But he had several examples from the Department of Health’s interpretation of its cannabis program rules he said could be fixed by the committee and the department.
Some of the rules, Murphy argued, are illogical, wasteful and overly burdensome.
One requires growers to test their crops in 50-pound batches, but that 50 pounds is measured before the crop is dried. Dried marijuana weighs about a fifth of its wet weight, Murphy said.
If the health department allowed operators to dry out the product before being divided into batches, operators would only need to pay for a fifth as many tests.
Ned Horsted of 605 Cannabis said he spends “six to 10 times” what he would if the state used the dry weight system commonly used in other states.
Murphy and the other cannabis industry advocates pointed to a handful of other issues, as well. Cannabis deliveries must use the same courier for pickup and delivery, for example, regardless of how many stops they might make or how far they’re going in a given day.
“There needs to be a way to safely put that product in another person’s hands,” Murphy said.
Lawmaker unconvinced of need for law change
Sen. Erin Tobin (R-Winner) said she expects most of the issues presented Monday could be cleared up through the rule-making process, rather than by legislation. She also told Murphy she’s not sure changing the committee’s makeup is necessary to make changes to rules.
Patients, municipal governments, school board members and designated caregivers might also have input for the committee, Tobin said.
She noted that the bill that changed the committee’s makeup specified that its members are meant to take input and consider the views of industry representatives, patients and the like at each of its meetings.
“You could argue that we need one of everything, right?” Tobin said. “We have an opportunity with the speaker and a mic for anybody that would like to come forward, and that’s valuable to us.”
Patient numbers dropping
Brad Jurgensen, the lone patient representative on the committee, noted that the number of medical marijuana cards in South Dakota has dropped considerably.
As of October 24, there were 12,186 patient cards in circulation in South Dakota. That’s down by 1,519 from February, when the state hit 13,705 card holders.
“Is there any state-specific reason why those numbers would be going down?” Jurgensen asked.
By then, Kerr had left the room.
Kittrick Jefferies, of Black Hills-based Puffy’s dispensaries, told the committee that his customers talk of being denied because their condition doesn’t qualify for a medical cannabis card under state law, but that “it’s all anecdotal.”
Department of Health spokesperson Tia Kafka did not immediately respond to a Searchlight question on why the number of cardholders is dropping.
The number of practitioners approved to write pot prescriptions, however, has continued to increase. More practitioners have been added to the state’s list every month since December of 2022.
This story was first published by South Dakota Searchlight.
Medical Marijuana Improves Chronic Pain And Mental Health Symptoms While Reducing Prescription Drug Use, Study Shows
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
A tornado watch has been issued for much of central and eastern South Dakota as forecasters warn conditions are favorable for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued the watch at 4:05 p.m. CDT, and it will remain in effect until 11 p.m. It includes dozens of counties across central and eastern South Dakota, as well as parts of southeastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Forecasters expect thunderstorms to develop along and ahead of a cold front moving southeast across the Dakotas. The strongest storms could become supercells capable of producing all severe weather hazards.
The severe weather threat is expected to continue Thursday, when another round of strong to severe thunderstorms could develop across parts of South Dakota. Large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes will again be possible.
What are expected impacts of South Dakota storms?
Storms that remain isolated could produce tornadoes and very large hail before merging into a line of thunderstorms later in the evening, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Once storms organize into a line, damaging winds are expected to become the main threat, although brief tornadoes and hail will remain possible.
The National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls said portions of southeastern South Dakota face a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe weather Wednesday evening. Atmospheric conditions include high instability, increasing wind shear and abundant moisture, creating an environment supportive of severe thunderstorms.
In addition to severe weather, some areas could receive heavy rainfall. Most locations are expected to receive between a quarter-inch and three-quarters of an inch of rain, although isolated areas could see more than an inch. Widespread flooding is not expected, but localized flooding could occur in areas that recently received heavy rainfall.
Where will storms hit in South Dakota?
Storms are expected to develop in central South Dakota between late afternoon and early evening before moving east through the night. Forecasters expect the strongest storms to reach the Interstate 29 corridor between about 10 p.m. and midnight.
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Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the United States as the Weather Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at baddison@gannett.com.
See Republican Zach Lahn speak after primary win in governor’s race
GOP gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn speaks to his supporters during an election night watch party on June 2, 2026, in West Des Moines.
The makeup of the Legislature was up in the air as of 1 a.m. after South Dakota’s primary election.
Ten Republican state lawmakers ousted in 2024 are angling to get their seats back in 2026. Results were mixed for the nine who had primaries on Tuesday, with results still coming in for several races and others set for possible recounts.
Shawn Bordeaux of Rosebud won the state’s only Democratic primary, beating Troy “Luke” Lunderman for a chance to return to the state Senate.
Bordeaux will face Chamberlain Republican Rebecca Reimer in November’s general election. Reimer, who was term-limited in the state House of Representatives, beat Lower Brule Sen. Tamara Grove in Tuesday’s primary.
In Watertown’s District 5, Rep. Josephine Garcia fell in a state Senate primary to incumbent Sen. Glen Vilhauer. Garcia beat Byron Callies in the 2024 primary to earn her seat in the House of Representatives, but opted to challenge Vilhauer for his Senate seat instead of seeking reelection to the House.
Callies, Vilhauer and Garcia are all from Watertown.
Vilhauer won with 59% of the vote. His was one of the first state legislative victories of the night reported on the Secretary of State’s website.
Vilhauer won handily, but he said he wasn’t necessarily expecting to as polls opened on Tuesday.
“I knew it was going to be a battle going in,” Vilhauer said. “She worked hard on her side, and I didn’t know what to expect.”
Callies was among the first to call Vilhauer to congratulate him, around 9:30 p.m.
“I’m happy, because Glen’s a solid legislator,” said Callies, who’s angling to win his seat back in the general election.
Garcia did not return a call seeking comment.
In District 21, Sen. Mykala Voita of Bonesteel beat former Sen. Erin Tobin of Winner in a rematch of their 2024 contest, which Voita won by a few dozen votes that year. This time around, Voita bested Tobin by 1,002 votes.
In response to a request for comment, Voita sent a text reading “Glory to God!”
Tobin did not return a call from South Dakota Searchlight about her race after it was called, but said earlier in the evening she would be “at peace” with the results regardless of what they might be.
Another rematch saw Yanktonites Lauren Nelson and Jean Hunhoff battling for District 18’s state Senate seat. Nelson was a newcomer in 2024 when she beat Hunhoff, who’d spent decades in the Capitol between stints in the House and Senate. On Tuesday, Nelson held off Hunhoff, winning by 243 votes.
Other notable races
- District 4 Rep. Dylan Jordan of Clear Lake, first elected in 2024, finished fourth in a five-way race. As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, he trailed Ryan Kohl of Milbank and former Rep. Fred Deutsch of Florence, in first and second place, respectively. A recount is possible in that race, with 59 votes separating the top two vote-getters while Rep. Kent Roe, of Hayti, came in third place, with 72 fewer votes than Deutsch.
- District 4 has two possible recounts. In the other, Bryant’s Stephanie Sauder beat Clear Lake’s Tim Begalka by 105 votes in the unofficial tally from the Secretary of State.
- District 1 Rep. Logan Manhart of Aberdeen, elected in the 2024 primary, fell to Rep. Nick Fosness, a hospital administrator appointed by Gov. Larry Rhoden in 2025, and newcomer Daniel Kjos.
- Another recount was possible as of Wednesday at 1 a.m., in the District 16 race for House of Representatives. Rep. John Shubeck of Beresford trailed Lisa Bogue of Beresford by 245 votes in unofficial results. Jason VanDenTop of Canton was in third place, trailing Shubeck by 68 votes.
Vote totals incomplete
- Sen. John Carley of Piedmont, who won his first term in 2024, trailed William Meirose of Sturgis by 166 votes as of 1 a.m. Wednesday.
- Former Rep. Tyler Tordsen led Rep. Tony Kayser by two votes in the District 14 primary, with results still coming in. The Sioux Falls men are vying for second place and a spot on the November general election ballot alongside Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt of Sioux Falls, who led by more than 600 votes early Wednesday.
- District 28 Sen. Sam Marty of Prairie City was in a close race with former legislator Ryan Maher of Isabel.
- Former Rep. Gary Cammack of Union Center, who lost his seat in 2024, and Gary Deering of Hereford, led Reps. Terri Jorgenson of Piedmont and Kathy Rice of Blackhawk in the District 29 race.
- In District 30, Hot Springs Sen. Amber Hulse led former Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller of Rapid City by more than 1,300 votes.
- Former Sen. David Johnson of Rapid City led Sen. Curt Voight of Rapid City in a rematch of their 2024 race for District 33 Senate in early results.
- Rep. Heather Baxter of Rapid City has signaled her intention to challenge sitting Secretary of State Monae Johnson for the Republican nomination to that constitutional office at the state’s Republican Party convention this summer. In early results, Baxter trailed former Rapid City Rep. Becky Drury and Rep. Mike Derby in the District 34 primary.
- Early results in the District 35 primary put Sen. Greg Blanc, elected in 2024, in a close race with fellow Rapid City resident Nicole Mitzel.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
South Dakota
Republican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
Republican businessman Toby Doeden has advanced to a runoff in South Dakota governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Kristi Noem last year when President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was battling with Rep. Dusty Johnson and former state House Speaker Jon Hansen for a second spot in the July 28 runoff. The primary will go to a runoff because no candidate eclipsed 35% of the vote.
Trump did not issue an endorsement in the race. Doeden branded himself on his campaign website as “a total political outsider who’s tired of the government’s failure to deliver on its promises” and one of Trump’s “fiercest supporters.”
Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and lawmaker, campaigned on property tax cuts and lowering crime in his bid for a four-year term.
Johnson is the state’s lone representative in the House, where he previously was chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Hansen, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2010, held several leadership positions before he became speaker.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite to win the general election in the solidly red state this fall. A Democrat has not served as governor in South Dakota since the 1970s, and Trump carried the state by 29 points in 2024.
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