New Approach South Dakota

10/22/2026

10/13/2026

The Attorney General has made an official statement on the effects of Rescheduling and its impact on the SD Medical Program. https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3174&fbclid=IwdGRjcAU7ZYpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAWZkaWQWUQO0M-HSZdOxl8nFxxgH0D7G6zEnr3NydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4yOJ0uNSt_0TnFHmllCoQWaIKxhazoglEYGhblWcWrI2iABuWmeg3ZcR5h3w_aem_cUBlg3ASily4yA_F1_zIag .tab=0

10/13/2026

Here is the agenda link for the MMOC Meeting at 10am. On the pages, there is a link to SDPB to listen to the live stream.

10/07/2026

The last 2026 Medical Ma*****na Oversight Committee meeting is Oct. 13 at 10am in Room 362 in the State Capitol Building in Pierre. Every patient should attend this meeting.

Last year's final meeting, which was stacked with presenters who were against cannabis, will pale in comparison to this year's lineup of speakers.

New Approach wants everyone to read this lineup and understand that THIS MMOC meeting could have very negative downstream effects on our state medical program and patient access.https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/api/Documents/307903.pdf

Kevin Sabet and Bertha Madras both spoke in Opposition to Rescheduling during the DEA Rescheduling Hearing earlier this year. Sabet is known as "the most recognizable anti-cannabis activist in the United States"; he is also the CEO of SAM, an organization that advocates heavily against legalization of cannabis for any reason.

The MMOC's choice of speakers and presenters for this meeting raises questions about whether they are following the duties they are assigned to do per 34-20G-93. Inviting anti-cannabis speakers to present for a patient-focused meeting that is in place to ensure access for patients is working and fulfilling the law SD voters overwhelmingly passed in 2020 is not what the committee time is meant for.

As posted below, there is no space for anti-cannabis rhetoric in these meetings, and patients only have 2 opportunities a year to suggest changes through the MMOC. The duties of this committee are listed at the end of this post and were voted on by SD voters.

We hope that many of you will see this and attend the meeting. You are under no obligation to speak if you are uncomfortable doing so. This is an opportunity to meet other patients and business owners, and to show that patients are still engaged in the process of protecting their access to safe, tested, and AVAILABLE medical access.

The MMOC's duties are to:
(1) The ability of qualifying patients in all areas of the state to obtain timely access to high-quality medical cannabis;
(2) The effectiveness of the dispensaries and cultivation facilities, individually and together, in serving the needs of qualifying patients, including the provision of educational and support services by dispensaries, the reasonableness of their prices, whether they are generating any complaints or security problems, and the sufficiency of the number operating to serve the state's registered qualifying patients;
(3) The effectiveness of the cannabis testing facilities, including whether a sufficient number are operating;
(4) The sufficiency of the regulatory and security safeguards contained in this chapter and adopted by the department to ensure that access to and use of cannabis cultivated is provided only to cardholders;
(5) Any recommended additions or revisions to the department regulations or this chapter, including recommendations relating to security, safe handling, labeling, and nomenclature;
(6) Any research studies regarding health effects of medical cannabis for patients; and
(7) Any medical and clinical aspects of the medical cannabis program.

08/24/2026

Kittrick Jeffries, chairman of the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota and owner of Puffy’s Dispensary in Rapid City, said some businesses are taking the initiative.

“A lot of our establishments within our association are currently going through the DEA inspection process to become licensed under the DEA,” Jeffries said.

“At the state level, we probably have more questions than answers.” By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight A federal change in medical ma*****na’s legal classification should help South Dakota’s medical cannabis industry claim business tax deductions and gain access to banking, official...

08/20/2026

Monday's first MMOC meeting for the year went very well. The DOH has been working hard on bringing digital cards to patients, updating procedures, and working with the licensed business owners to create better processes for every patient. The 2nd meeting is not yet scheduled, but we anticipate that being late fall.

"Brunner, the program’s administrator, said on Monday that her office has changed some of its processes for inspecting licensed ma*****na businesses to work more cooperatively with them.
She said the department is also working on potential changes to administrative rules that businesses have sought and has developed a new website.
The tone of the meeting was much more business-like than the final one of 2025, when tension flared between legislators, department leader Melissa Magstadt and cannabis industry representatives."

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota’s medical cannabis program saw a large jump in registered users during the past year. And next summer, the South Dakota Department of Health plans to …

08/08/2026

While everyone is focused on rescheduling there is a fight happening that is not getting enough attention. C*D access is at risk of being ripped away permanently and there are some incredible people fighting in DC to ensure that doesn’t happen.

One of this is Paige Figi. I hope everyone who follows NASD knows her name and knows Charlotte’s story. Charlotte was an angel who changed hearts and minds about the power of plant medicine, her Momma Paige an inspiration and a warrior. I’m so proud to watch her fight for every child and adult across this country who needs access to C*D if you are able to, join them in making calls to save C*D from being ripped out of the hands of children. Call your representatives and Senators to tell them to keep C*D available to all.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/08/senate-government-funding-01030015?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&fbclid=IwdGRjcATkYSpwZG9mBWZkaWQWUMHXX78lvFXkGrwA9UAGDKiCkf-uTGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7tz9CXQ_BoabW91BbHrqlgofA73xrqEzhxWMfdX-zHJN5XShPobADv7eeYLg_aem_KQjubt4g1GrU2t-HuecCRg

07/24/2026

This week has been history-making for SD as the DEA Inspections started for Dispensaries all over the state. Here's what we know.
1. This process has been friendly and informative for Dispensary Owners.
2. There have been no changes made to patients' ability to have access.
3. No changes have been made to Dispensary Operations
4. Many who have been inspected reflect that our earlier statement on this being a pretty seamless process was accurate. SD's rules, regulations, and IM26 gave a heavy blanket of regulation to Operators that required Compliance at a higher level than many other states across the Nation.
There will be updates coming as this process unfolds; however, as of now, all of it is preliminary and positive.

We wanted to wait until today to give accurate information based on real experiences happening within this process. When we know updates, we will share them with you all.

Have a good weekend and stay cool + hydrated. The heat wave starting tomorrow is dangerous for everyone. Please remember to make lots of shade and fresh water available for your pups when you are outside and don't walk them on the concrete, as it will burn their toe beans.

Mel

07/21/2026

A combination of the ma*****na components THC and C*D leads to a significant and sustained reduction in agitation in the vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease of other forms of dementia, according to a new federally funded study.

The placebo-controlled, double-blind trial involved a cannabis preparation called T2:C100 that contained 2mg THC and 100mg C*D, and included 120 people with dementia who were eligible to receive hospice care and were experiencing clinically significant agitation.

The researchers, from Medical University of South Carolina and Georgetown University, found that there was a “statistically significant improvement” in scores on a standardized scale to systematically assess agitation among patients who received the cannabis medication as compared to the placebo group—measured at both two weeks into the trial and at the end of the full 12-week study.

Cannabis Use Soars Among Older Adults

"After week two, 84 percent of participants receiving THC and C*D improved, according to the caregiver-rated scale, compared to 31 percent of those who got the placebo. After the full trial, 87 percent of those who got the cannabis medication manufactured by MediPharm Labs saw improvement, as compared to 24 percent in the placebo group.

The results, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this month, suggest that the “THC/C*D combination used in the study may be an important therapeutic tool” for patients with agitation and Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, according to the abstract."

A combination of the ma*****na components THC and C*D leads to a significant and sustained reduction in agitation in the vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease of other forms of dementia, according to a new federally funded study. The placebo-controlled, double-blind trial involved a can...

07/12/2026

The latest update from the SDDOH on patient demographics. There is a lot of joy in seeing these show proof of concept of what we knew during petitioning and campaigning. The demographics for cannabis patients are 40+, with almost 2000 of them being 70+. Well, that is just incredible. That wins every argument that this program was for stoners and hippie kids.

Thank you to the 601 caregivers out there who are doing their part to help a loved one/loved ones. We appreciate you.

Have a great evening,
Mel