SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The medical marijuana industry has been targeted quite a bit by lawmakers in D.C. and Pierre. But the industry is still growing.
South Dakota has not come around to the idea of marijuana for recreational purposes, but nearly 19,000 residents have access to it medically, and from the doctor’s office to the point of sale, transparency is important.
Roy’zzz Dispensary Manager David Blackburn said his clientele is filled with a mixed bag of users of different experiences with cannabis, many of whom, he likes to say, are seasoned (60+).
“We definitely see a lot of people that are of that age group, it’s interesting because a lot of people that either have no experience, in that age, or have a bunch of experience, and you can hear their stories of how they’ve dealt with this,” Blackburn said.
For those who are new and need help, Blackburn said his staff has to be very knowledgeable about the medical benefits of their products.
“Those are the challenges my staff and I love to have. We go into it with an open ear; we have a number of different certificates and trainings and different platforms that we’ve used to build the nomenclature and knowledge that we have to be able to have these conversations with people,” Blackburn said.
According to recent data from the state Department of Health, ‘severe, debilitating pain dominates the patient condition count at 70%, followed by PTSD at just 13%.
“A patient does have to visit a practitioner in person; it has to be an in-person exam, and medical history must be reviewed. Medical history must be reviewed, and it’s at the practitioner’s discretion and determination if that patient has a qualifying condition in statute,” DOH Medical Cannabis program administrator Whitney Brunner said.
If a practitioner deems a patient to have a debilitating medical condition, the practitioner will have to identify that medical cannabis may be beneficial for that patient in order to get a card.
There has been a 62% growth in approved medical cards year over year. The Department of Health says they are not having trouble getting patients paired with their practitioners across the state.
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