Sioux Falls City Council Puts Brakes On Legal Medical Marijuana

Back in November of 2020, the citizens of South Dakota voted to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Both measures were set to go into effect on July 1st of 2021.

And just as many businesses were gearing up to accommodate the sale of legalized pot in South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem had Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Rick Miller file a petition questioning the legality of the legalization.

As the breaks have been put on the implementation of recreational marijuana in South Dakota the access to medical marijuana was still on track.

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On Tuesday night the Sioux Falls City Council meeting passed a second reading for a “pause ordinance” for medical marijuana. The vote was passed 6 to 1.

According to Dakota News Now, This “pause” ordinance essentially puts a temporary pause on Sioux Falls putting any marijuana regulations in place until the state releases its own rules.

This allows the city to be able to refuse applications for permits or licenses for marijuana establishments come July 1st.

Instead, the city will wait on the South Dakota Department of Health to release regulations, which must be done before November 2021. The ordinance goes into effect this Saturday.

Councilor Greg Neitzert says "the city council will work on coming up with medical marijuana regulations for the city. These will be introduced through ordinances such as zoning laws and smoking regulations."

Councilor Pat Starr urged those interested in the medical marijuana industry to get involved in the conversation. Starr says there is “a joint task force with the two counties in the city of Sioux Falls that will be meeting here in the next week.”