GOP Gov. Noem Signs 3 Medical Marijuana Bills Into Law, One Placing 'Guardrails' On Former Prisoners

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) signed Senate Bill 219, sponsored by GOP Senator David Wheeler, which aims to change provisions related to controlling counties and municipalities over medical marijuana establishments within their jurisdictions. 

"(It clarifies) Licensing for medical marijuana establishments, particularly just to clarify the fact that a medical marijuana establishment inside a town does not need a second license from the county," said Wheeler, according to SDPB Radio. 

"If the governing body of a municipality has enacted a numerical limit on the number of medical cannabis establishments in the municipality, and a greater number of applicants seek registration, the department shall solicit and consider input from the municipality as to its preference for registration," the bill reads. 

See Also: Medical Marijuana Patients Would Be Added To Prescription Monitoring Program Under South Dakota Bill

The governor also signed Senate Bill 191, sponsored by state Sen. Jim Mehlhaff (R), which does not prohibit people on supervised release from becoming registered medical marijuana patients but rather requires additional certification from health care practitioners to be provided to a court or parole officer.

Increasing Fines 

Senate Bill 43 which also received Noem's signature, would create procedures to impose fines and probation against medical marijuana businesses, raise fees for a medical cannabis establishment registration certificate and direct the Department of Health to promulgate rules to increase the fee for a registration certificate.

The newly signed bills will take effect on July 1. 

Earlier this month, Noem signed Senate Bill 10 into law, making it obligatory for medical marijuana patients’ primary healthcare providers to be informed of the patient's participation in the program.

See Also: GOP Gov. Noem Signs Bill Compelling South Dakota’s Medical Marijuana Patients To Acknowledge Federal Gun Ban

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Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Office of the Governor, South Dakota via Wikimedia Commons and Africa Studio via Shutterstock