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.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A free worship concert is coming to Rapid City this Friday night as part of the annual Homeschool South Dakota Conference.
The concert will take place May 15th at The Monument and will officially kick off the two-day conference event. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the concert beginning at 7:30.
The evening will feature praise and worship music from Mike Weaver, the lead singer of the Christian band Big Daddy Weave. Organizers say the concert is completely free and open to the public, no tickets or conference registration required.
The Homeschool South Dakota Conference brings together homeschooling families from across the state for educational sessions, guest speakers and community activities throughout the weekend.
Organizers say the concert is designed to be a community-wide event welcoming anyone interested in attending. Additional information about the conference and concert is available through Homeschool South Dakota.
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South Dakota knows how to slow down. Hot Springs runs an 87-degree natural mineral pool that has drawn visitors since 1890. Spearfish anchors itself with a working fish hatchery dating back to 1896. Mitchell rebuilds its Corn Palace exterior every year out of actual corn. These are six of the state’s most relaxing small towns.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen sits in the James River valley of northeastern South Dakota, known locally for being the closest thing the state has to an Oz theme park. Storybook Land, a free-admission public park on the north side of the city, is built around L. Frank Baum’s connection to the area. Baum lived and published in Aberdeen in the 1880s, and the park features a full Wizard of Oz land with a yellow brick road, the Emerald City, and Dorothy’s House. The same park complex includes a castle, fairy-tale attractions, and a small petting zoo.
Downtown, the Hagerty & Lloyd Historic District holds some of Aberdeen’s oldest homes and buildings, including the Margaret and Maurice Lamont House, a Tudor Revival. Richmond Lake Recreation Area, about 10 miles northwest of town, adds hiking, biking, and camping on a reservoir that is the local summer anchor.
Hot Springs
Relaxation is built into Hot Springs. You can soak in the warm natural waters of the Evans Plunge Mineral Springs, which have drawn visitors for over a century. Established in 1890, the spring-fed waters naturally hold a year-round 87-degree temperature. In addition to the thermal springs at Evans Plunge, you have hot tubs, steam rooms, slides, and more.
Beyond the soak, the Mammoth Site is an active paleontological dig featuring remains of Ice Age giants. Consider booking a stay at the historic Red Rock River Resort Hotel & Spa, a sandstone building constructed in 1891. Family-owned and located downtown, the hotel offers quality care and a well-preserved interior. It’s within walking distance of Evans Plunge and other hot spring locations.
Lead
A close neighbor to the busier Deadwood, Lead is a town every bit as historic and far more relaxing. It’s an old mining town at its core, with several modern amenities along its historic Main Street. The Black Hills Mining Museum showcases the area’s gold rush, while the Homestake Opera House, which hosts year-round tours, concerts, dances, and educational events, is a century-old building that once held a bowling alley, billiards hall, and more.
For families, the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center takes a deep dive into the region’s history, its people, and the ongoing scientific research conducted in its underground laboratories. Lead is the right town for South Dakota’s Wild West history without the commercial trappings.
Spearfish
On the northern edge of the Black Hills, Spearfish sits at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon, a 19-mile limestone gorge cut by Spearfish Creek that drops several notable waterfalls along its length. The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway follows the canyon floor, past Bridal Veil Falls and Roughlock Falls, and provides one of the most reliably beautiful and uncrowded drives in the state. The D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, established in 1896 and now run as a historic site, anchors the town’s history with restored buildings, raceway ponds full of visible trout, and the Von Bayer Museum of Fish Culture.
Downtown Spearfish has a walkable core along Main Street with local restaurants including Killian’s Food and Drink and Lucky’s 13 Pub. For shorter outings, Spearfish City Park features the hatchery at one end, a sculpture walk along the creek, and shaded picnic grounds. Combined with its easy access to Deadwood, Lead, and the rest of the northern Black Hills, Spearfish offers a strong base for anyone wanting to relax without giving up access to outdoor activities.
Custer
Custer is the gateway to Custer State Park, a 71,000-acre preserve in the southern Black Hills that holds one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the country, roughly 1,300 head, along with elk, pronghorn, and mule deer. The Wildlife Loop Road runs 18 miles through open grassland and mixed pine, with frequent wildlife sightings. Jewel Cave National Monument, 15 miles west of town, has more than 215 mapped miles of passages, ranking it among the longest cave systems in the world.
Downtown Custer itself is compact, with Sage Creek Grille serving elk-stuffed mushrooms and other regional dishes; it has been a fixture on Mount Rushmore Road for two decades. The Crazy Horse Memorial, still under construction since 1948, sits 15 miles north on Highway 385. For outdoor activity, Custer is the closest town to both the 109-mile Mickelson rail-trail and the trailhead for Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota at 7,242 feet.
Mitchell
Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace, a civic auditorium on Main Street whose exterior is redesigned every year out of actual corn, grain, and native grasses by a rotating group of local artists. The original structure dates to 1892, with the current building completed in 1921. New murals go up each summer. The building hosts high school basketball, concerts, and the annual Corn Palace Festival in late August. Admission is free year-round.
Woolworth’s Caramel Apples, next door, has been making the same recipe since the 1950s. The Dakota Discovery Museum a few blocks away covers regional history with a restored 1886 one-room schoolhouse, 1900 farmhouse, and 1909 Italianate home, plus a collection of Native American art and early 20th-century prairie paintings by Oscar Howe and Harvey Dunn.
Visit Relaxing South Dakota Today
These six towns split fairly cleanly between two South Dakotas: the prairie side, Aberdeen and Mitchell, and the Black Hills side, Hot Springs, Lead, Spearfish, and Custer. The prairie towns are anchored by one or two strong local institutions and a quieter pace. The Black Hills towns are anchored by the landscape itself. Either side rewards a weekend, and together they give you a fuller picture of the state than Mount Rushmore alone ever could.
The state Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway has both increased its cohort size and endowed about 50 new teachers. Advocates say in a state with a noted teacher shortage, it represents steps toward closing the gap for educators.
The pathway gives qualified and interested paraprofessionals the opportunity to advance their careers and become fully fledged teachers.
For Kathryn Blaha, state Department of Education Division of Accreditation director, it does make a difference in the lives of those involved, and the communities they serve.
“As I listen to people who have been accepted into the program and hear their stories, it’s an opportunity for them to make a difference at a different level in the classroom, but it’s also making a significant impact on the communities that they’re living in and the financial changes for their own personal children,” Blaha said.
These cohorts are expanding to provide more opportunities on the back of support from the governor.
“We’ve had state support for additional funding for the program,” Blaha said. “It really is a program that allows individuals who otherwise may not have had an opportunity to seek a position as a teacher in a classroom to gain the experience and training to do so.”
As a result, Blaha said the new cohort will have over 70 positions. That’s the largest group since the inception of the program in 2023.
“It’s been a tremendous program,” Blaha said. “We have 118 that have graduated as of the spring and summer 2026 graduation ceremonies. We’re really to the impact and the differences those individuals will make.”
The program is run through Northern State University and takes an average of two years to complete.
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