VIEWPOINT | Science, not sales, should guide South Dakota’s medical marijuana mission

Guest column by Rhonda Milstead, Protecting South Dakota Kids

The South Dakota Legislature made a smart early move with the formation of the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee in 2023. They designed it with balanced voices — two Senators, two Representatives and a mix of medical, public-safety and patient perspectives — to ensure this new program would serve patients in need while protecting children, families, and communities.

On paper, it was the right formula:
• Medical expertise for patients
• Law enforcement for public safety, and
• Legislators to ensure accountability.

But the committee’s work in 2023 and 2024 fell short. Instead of developing a medically driven system with appropriate safeguards, meetings were dominated by cannabis-industry interests and the Department of Health.

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