themarijuanaherald.com · Anthony Martinelli · September 7, 2026
South Dakota Sets September 23 Hearing on Medical Marijuana Rule Changes as Patient Count Nears 20,000
Sep 07 2026
# South Dakota Sets September 23 Hearing on Medical Marijuana Rule Changes as Patient Count Nears 20,000
- By Anthony Martinelli in News - September 7, 2026 - 2 mins to read
South Dakota officials will hold a public hearing later this month on a broad package of proposed changes to the state’s medical marijuana regulations, as enrollment in the program approaches 20,000 patients.
The Department of Health has scheduled the hearing for September 23 at 10 a.m. Central Time at the Floyd Matthew Training Center in Pierre. Written comments will be accepted through October 3.
The proposal would amend 37 sections of Article 44:90, which governs South Dakota’s medical marijuana program. The affected provisions span patient registry cards, business registration, establishment operations and security, testing facilities, product manufacturing, dispensaries, sampling and testing, packaging, recordkeeping and enforcement.
The Department of Health says the changes are intended to update and clarify requirements to better align them with current medical marijuana industry standards, improve consistency and modernize administrative processes. Officials said the revisions are also intended to eliminate contradictions, correct errors and address operational issues identified by both regulators and the industry.
The rulemaking comes as South Dakota’s medical marijuana program continues to grow.
Department of Health data released September 2 shows the state had 19,821 registered medical marijuana patients in August, up from 19,530 in July. That is an increase of 291 patients, or about 1.5%, in one month. The number of registered caregivers also increased from 609 to 620, while participating providers rose from 209 to 211.
South Dakota voters legalized medical marijuana through Initiated Measure 26 in November 2020, with the program subsequently established under state law and administered by the Department of Health.
Following the September 23 hearing and October 3 comment deadline, the proposed rules are scheduled to go before the Legislature’s Interim Rules Review Committee on October 14.