Where there’s smoke, there may be an attempt to burn down South Dakota’s medical marijuana program

OG article by Dana Hess

November 11, 2025

A legislative oversight committee hearing featured out-of-state law enforcement and medical experts warning of marijuana’s dangers, alarming South Dakota’s medical cannabis industry. Voters approved the program with 70% support in 2020. Industry leader Emmett Reistroffer sees a coordinated effort to restrict or repeal it, reminiscent of lawmakers gutting an ethics reform measure in 2017. Committee chair Rep. Josephine Garcia insists the goal was public safety awareness, not repeal. The author warns that dismantling the program would waste licensing efforts, close small businesses, and deny relief to 16,477 patient-card holders.