South Dakota Lawmakers Vote To Eliminate Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee

The sponsor of the bill to eliminate the cannabis panel said it has become an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

By Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight

The controversial committee that oversees South Dakota’s medical marijuana program could come to an end.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Tim Goodwin, R-Rapid City, that passed the House 41-26 on Monday would repeal the sections of state law that established the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee. The bill goes to a Senate panel next.

The medical marijuana program itself would continue, under the regulation of the state Department of Health.

Current law requires the Legislature’s Executive Board to appoint an 11-member committee made up of two senators, two representatives,and seven non-legislative stakeholders from an array of backgrounds, including medicine, law enforcement, counseling and at least one patient.

The panel must meet at least twice a year and make recommendations to the Legislature and the Department of Health.

Goodwin said the committee made sense when the state was setting up the program after voters approved it in 2020, but he said the committee has since become an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

He said the Department of Health and the Legislature are equipped to manage the program going forward.

The legislation comes amid friction between the oversight committee and the medical marijuana industry.

In November, the committee approved 11 motions, primarily calling for tighter regulations, without publishing them in advance or taking public comment on each motion.

The state has 18,168 medical marijuana patient cardholders.

This story was first published by South Dakota Searchlight.