The number of medical cannabis patients licensed for homegrow has increased by more than 1,000 percent over four years.
By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight
A South Dakota Health Department official told lawmakers Monday that the number of medical marijuana patients in the state who are licensed to grow medical cannabis at home has grown by more than 1,000 percent over the past four years.
Whitney Brunner, administrator of the state’s medical cannabis program, told the legislative Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee during a meeting at the Capitol in Pierre that the number of home cultivators grew from 61 in fiscal year 2022 to 715 in fiscal year 2026—an increase of 1,072 percent.
Medical marijuana has been legal in South Dakota since 2021, but recreational marijuana use remains prohibited.
Home cultivators may not grow more than two flowering cannabis plants and two non-flowering cannabis plants, according to state law.
Patients can add a home cultivation license to their medical marijuana card for $20. Applicants must submit a photo of the grow room, a photo of the lock on the door and a diagram of the grow location. Brunner said those diagrams are often hand-drawn and lack detail.
“The lack of regulation
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