SD State Legislature tabs “Medical Marijuana Oversight” Committee

PIERRE, SD (KEVN) – As requested by IM 26, the South Dakota legislature has one 14-member board of directors oversee the legalization of medical marijuana.

The board members come from a variety of professions, all of which help the state successfully enforce a medical marijuana program.

These occupations include health care workers, law enforcement officers, lawmakers, state government officials, and potential medical marijuana patients.

Speaker Spencer Gosch (R-Glenham) along with other legislative board members appointed these board members.

“Of course you don’t want someone to lean one way or another when it comes to voting on an initiative,” said Gosch. “When you have an objective body, you can do the right job without your judgment being tarnished by certain problems.”

However, one date in particular caused a sensation among many IM 26 supporters.

By a narrow majority, the members of the legislative executive council voted to put a pharmacist, Eric Grocott of Salem, on the board, as opposed to Kittrick Jeffries of South Dakota, a medical marijuana consultant.

Proponents argue that drugs and medical marijuana are in direct competition with each other.

Grocott did not respond to an interview request.

“The idea behind a pharmacist is that we talk about medicine, right?” Asked Gosch. “It’s an easy decision to make when we talk about medical marijuana and its distribution in the state of South Dakota. Who is better than an objective, intelligent, well-informed pharmacist who already knows our current laws?

Nonetheless, the legislators on the newly appointed board of directors hope to continue the discussion on the topic that has been overwhelmingly approved.

“It’s something people obviously wanted, and some people dragged their feet at it … opponents of it,” said State Sen. Erin Tobin (R-Winner). Tobin is the chairman of the committee. “I am pleased to see that I believe the drug could be beneficial for some of these patients.”

The board will work against the clock as medical marijuana is slated to become legal on July 1 and the Ministry of Health intends to issue ID cards before the end of the year.

Members of the “Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee”

Chair: State Sen. Erin Tobin (R winner)

Deputy Chairman: State Representative Ernie Otten (R-Tea)

Pierre Police Captain Bryan Walz

Mobridge Police Chief Shawn Madison Mad

Kim Malsam-Rysdon, South Dakota Secretary of Health

Pharmacist Eric Grocott

IM 26 lawyer Melissa Mentele

Criminal Police Department Assistant Dir. Brian Zeeb

Eligible Patient Brian Doherty

Dr. Christopher Dietrich

State Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt (R-Sioux Falls) in her capacity as a nurse

605 Cannabis Elizabeth Tiger

Semka Sciences Shon Van Hulzon