PIERRE, S.D. (SDBA) — The South Dakota House Health and Human Services Committee reject a complete repeal of the state’s medical marijuana program today (Tuesday) before approving narrower changes to patient identification requirements.
The committee voted 7-6 to kill House Bill 1101, which would have dismantled the voter-approved medical cannabis system, before passing House Bill 1124 on a 9-4 vote.
“When you promote something as a medicine and say there’s no bad side effects, it’s perfectly harmless, kids are going to try it,” the bills’ sponsor, Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, said during testimony.
One legislator was concerned that medical marijuana dosages are not standardized.
“I don’t know the exact number of concentrations,” Rep. Les Heinemann, R-Flandreau. “But we have concentrations that are 40 and 50% THC now.”
At least one medical marijuana supporter on the committee was unhappy with the anti-marijuana bills.
“The theme of the bills that we’ve seen are meant to cripple the medical marijuana industry. Period,” Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, said.
HB 1124 would require patients to possess state-issued cards to raise medical necessity as a legal defense. Industry representatives argued this could criminalize legitimate medical use.
Jeremiah Murphy, a lobbyist for the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, testified that the current law protects seriously ill patients. “DUIs are off the board for this,” Murphy said. “This is left with possession charges. If you’re caught with one gummy, that’s a felony possession charge.”
The more limited HB 1124 now moves to the House floor, while HB 1101’s defeat preserves the broader medical marijuana framework, approved by 70% of voters in 2020. According to testimony, the program currently serves approximately 11,000 registered patients statewide.
