South Dakota

Petitions to put measures on the ballot for the 2024 election are due on May 7. Campaigns like the one from the group South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws need to collect 17,508 valid signatures from registered South Dakota voters and submit them to the South Dakota Secretary of State by that

A bill signed into law Tuesday could spell trouble for retailers all over the Black Hills. House Bill 1125 bans the manufacture and sale of certain chemically altered hemp products. The bill is opposed by many shops that carry such products, and one business owner sent a letter to the governor

Western South Dakota's first medical marijuana testing facility is opening in Rapid City. Triverty Analytical will conduct compliance testing for the state’s cannabis industry, to test the potency of medical marijuana and to scan for contaminants like pesticides or heavy metals. Officials with the

South Dakota is poised to join 17 other states that have outlawed products sold with synthetic THC derived from hemp. Those products use a chemical conversion process to create psychoactive substances from hemp, which, when legalized by the federal government several years ago, was supposed to be

Four Medical Cannabis Bills Pass House Committee Amid Discussion on Practitioner Referrals and Facility Fees. In a session full of bills tinkering with the state's medical marijuana laws, a House committee passed four more medical cannabis bills this morning (Thursday). The House Health and Human

The bill would have put doctors at risk for criminal charges. South Dakota members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, with a vote of 5-2, decided last Wednesday to postpone any additional proceedings regarding legislation (SB 82), which aims to limit the medical cannabis access to a

South Dakota Senate Committee Delays Action on Restrictive Medical Cannabis Bill. Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 5-2 to defer any further action on legislation (SB 82) that sought to restrict many patients’ medical cannabis access. The measure sought to restrict

South Dakota Senate Committee Advances Changes to Medical Cannabis Program. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee killed two of the three medical marijuana bills on its agenda Wednesday (Jan. 24, 2024) and amended the other. The committee killed SB82, which would have required that a

The South Dakota Senate Health and Human Services Committee rejected two marijuana bills previously approved by the House. The committee killed the controversial House Bill 1036 on Wednesday that would have forced dispensaries to notify medical marijuana patients about federal restrictions on gun

The South Dakota House passed two bills Tuesday that would notify medical cannabis cardholders that they cannot legally purchase firearms under federal law. All forms of marijuana, including state-approved medical marijuana, are Schedule 1 controlled substances under federal law, meaning the feds

Acres planted in 2023 up 42 percent. South Dakota led the country in the amount of hemp harvested last year, and the number of acres used to farm the newly legal crop continues to grow. The South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association is reporting a 42 percent increase in acres of hemp planted in 2023

A new draft ballot initiative has been put forward in South Dakota that aims to legalize adult use cannabis – needing 17,509 valid petition signatures to qualify for the 2024 general election ballot. The proposal would allow individuals 21 years old or older to possess, grow, sell, ingest, and