Medical Marijuana Setbacks, Waiting On State Guidelines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) —Medical Cannabis 2021 cannabis is at South Dakota’s doorstep knocking, and curiosity is lighting up around the state as procedures and policies are yet to be instilled prior to the state legalization July 1st.

Rapid City’s Communications Coordinator, Darrell Shoemaker, expresses the need for the state to come up with guidelines before developing their own.

«The circumstance that we find ourselves in, as does numerous communities across South Dakota, is that by July 1 the state law changes, allowing medical cannabis in South Dakota. At the same time, it allows the state 6 months to come up with guidelines and policies. So, there’s that interlude there where we do not have the assistance by the state, but we require something in location by July 1,» states Shoemaker, «when the law changes.»

In other words, cities, towns and counties are hesitant to make decisions up until the state institutes guidelines.

Monday, Rapid City convened, passed the torch around, and came to a 9-1 arrangement on the very first regulation concerning the matter.

This is what’s important to understand come July 1st.

«In any zoning district in Rapid City cannabis facilities, dispensaries, growing of cannabis and testing remains prohibited,» says Shoemaker.

The state has till October 29 to institute guidelines. In the mean time, medical cannabis will stay prohibited. The city is looking around the country, where other locations have actually legislated the medicinal usage of the drug, and going over successes and failures to structure how Rapid City will continue.

Firms like Dakota Cannabis Consulting are eager to get the show underway, accorder to Kittrick Jeffries, the firm’s Director of Compliance.

«They prepare and do plan on getting these rules by October 29,» states Jeffries, «to enable the rollout of medical cannabis establishments. It’s really a neighborhood job to develop this foundation from the ground up.»

Areas that have presented the use of medicinal cannabis have had great and bad authorities alike, «when taking a look at that policy, you need to look truly towards the future,» says Jeffries. «Some things I ‘d like to see happen in the regional neighborhoods all throughout South Dakota is to hold onto South Dakota worths,» and who understands those worths much better than individuals who live here?

«This also allows us to move on and have the council working with the public of Rapid City. Developing that feedback. That feedback’s going to fuel, as we move on, some of that criteria which’s going to belong to the conversation,» says Shoemaker.

The medicinal cannabis waiting game persists.

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