RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – At the Black Hills Forum and Press Club today, a marijuana legalization advocate and dispensary owner made the case for how the Black Hills community can adapt to changes in cannabis policy.

He says there has been a shift politically in South Dakota over recent years, making these new policies possible.

Since voters passed Amendment A and Initiated Measure 26 in November of 2020, lawmakers and citizens alike have had questions about the implications of legal cannabis.

Kittrick Jeffries, owner of Dakota Cannabis Consulting and Puffy’s Dispensary, was there with answers.

BELLE FOURCHE — The Butte County Commission signed off on two more certificates of compliance for a pair of medical cannabis establishments: one for a cultivation license and one for a manufacturing license.

During the March 15 meeting of the county commission, 1889 Farms LLC and The High Hills LLC applied for cultivation and manufacturing licenses, respectively.

Representing the businesses, Kittrick Jeffries, a former marijuana industry compliance officer and founder of Dakota Cannabis Consulting, a Rapid City-based cannabis consulting firm, addressed the commission about the two applications.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – We know now the names and locations of the 15 future medical marijuana dispensaries in Rapid City.

The South Dakota Medical Cannabis Program in Pierre conducted a lottery drawing Wednesday to determine which of the 47 applicants will receive the 15 licenses that the Rapid City Council gave the green light for last year.

The successful applicants now have a year to establish their dispensaries.

South Dakota has issued its first three medical cannabis dispensary licenses to retailers in Wagner, Watertown and Keystone, according to a South Dakota Public Broadcasting report.

The licenses went to Custom Touch in Wagner, Dakota Dispensaries in Watertown and Puffy’s in Keystone, according to the state’s website.

South Dakota must still license medical cannabis cultivators, manufacturers and testing facilities, and the Department of Health is continuing to process applications, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported.

The state’s voters approved medical and adult-use cannabis legalization measures in the November 2020 election, although the South Dakota Supreme Court has since overturned the adult-use initiative, ruling that it violated the state’s single-subject rule.

South Dakota lawmakers are currently considering several proposed bills on medical and adult-use cannabis during the 2022 legislative session, which kicked off Jan. 11.

STURGIS — Puffy’s LLC and Northern Hills Alternative Health have been awarded provisional medical cannabis dispensary licenses from the city of Sturgis.

The Puffy’s dispensary would be located at 1337 Main Street just to the west of the Loud American Roadhouse. The Northern Hills Alternative Health location is at 2715 Lazelle at the mouth of Boulder Canyon.

The city offered two licenses for dispensaries and unlimited licenses for cannabis manufacturing and testing. They received 18 applications for the two dispensary licenses prior to the deadline on Nov. 23.

It was then the responsibility of City Finance Officer Fay Bueno to open the applications and determine if they were complete.

The Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, along with Toronto-based company Business of Cannabis, gathered a group of medical and recreational marijuana advocates from South Dakota and beyond to discuss the current state and future of cannabis.

The event was CIASD’s first. The organization plans to continue hosting events both online and in person for its members and those who pay to participate. The association, founded after the successful campaigns for Amendment A (legalizing recreational marijuana, currently under litigation) and Initiated Measure 26 (legalizing medicinal marijuana), is dedicated to making sure South Dakota extends its business-friendly attitudes to the marijuana industry.