Did you know – South Dakotans can buy approximately 500 joints per month if they tell a doctor they have chronic pain of some kind? South Dakota citizens have voted in favor of “medicinal” marijuana usage, but what they got was something totally different. 

Getting a card: The process of getting a marijuana card is so lax that even Representative Fred Deutsch – a former legislator who adamantly opposes marijuana expansion – was able to get a marijuana card after telling the clinic that he had neck pain. Read his op-ed on it here.

Once you have the card you can go to the local pot-shop and chat with the bud-tender behind the counter. The bud-tender can sell you enough marijuana to roll nearly 300 joints. Two weeks later, you can go back for a refill.

What South Dakota is Facing- No Age Limit & Expanding Eligibility

The drug that’s portrayed as a natural multi-use miracle really isn’t that miraculous after all. Its marketed “health benefits” are actually wreaking havoc on its users–on a scale entirely different from other pharmaceuticals. While this is happening, South Dakota is only expanding the industry through the amount of medical cards it is giving out. 

Since 2021, medical marijuana cards have been legal and available in South Dakota. Now, thousands of South Dakotans are accessing the drug, and the number of medical marijuana cards given out have surged year after year. This last year, the number of medical marijuana cards South Dakota approved jumped 62% from the year prior.

South Dakota allows anyone at any age to get a card. Though you have to be 18 to qualify on your own, minors are eligible too if they have a guardian consent. 

Health “Benefits” Are Devastating

Marijuana’s downsides can’t be overlooked. Declining birthrates, increased miscarriages, brain cell drops, and little state revenue makes marijuana expansion a net negative for South Dakota families. Not to mention the people operating dispensaries are not health professionals in the first place– they exist to make a profit, and provide little to no sound medical advice at their storefronts. 

The same year South Dakota legalized medical marijuana, a Human Reproduction study came out showing that cannabis use may be associated with a 41 percent decline in the ability to conceive compared to non-users. We already see the birth rates at an all time low- such that it will collapse the economy and society if not improved. This is a massive problem.

Marijuana User Anxiety & Depression Is Increasing

Not only that, but one of the most common reasons for cannabis use is for anxiety treatment. A study from March 2026 shows that the drug gives “no significant” relief to “anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder.” 

In fact, we’re seeing the opposite: a recent Columbia study found that occasional users maintained the same rate for depression and suicidality and that addicts have even higher rates. 

The health concerns and studied issues are continually studied and repeatedly prove the dangers of cannabis use- especially among young adults. 

The Danger of Dispensaries

To obtain any other medication that requires some sort of diagnosis, you are sent to a pharmacy, where trained and educated professionals can give you insights on your medicine- side effects, dosages, and other recommendations. Why does marjuana get its own storefronts, manned by anyone who applies? There’s no true medical advice to be found – no regulated dosages or recommendations, no specific prescription, and no regard to age, weight, needs, or medical history. Once you have the card, your options are endless… only regulated by the maximum 3 ounces every 14 days.

Promised Revenue is Severely Lacking

In the process of pushing for legalized medicinal use, tax revenue was promised. The opposite has happened time and time again in states like California, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, where upon legalization, the black-market sales of pot sprung up all over– effectively evading being taxed. Oregon’s oversupply of the drug proved unable to fund long-term commitments to public safety and local drug treatment programs.

A Voter’s Duty

South Dakota voters must be in the know. That’s why our voter guide, DakotaVoter, rates candidates on their stance on marijuana. In an under-regulated industry where so much is at stake, the issue of marijuana in any form– medical or recreational– cannot be ignored. For the sake of our kids, our businesses, our health, and our future, we urge voters to do their due diligence in electing officials who will be as hard on the drug as it is on our state.

Visit DakotaVoter.com to see how candidates in YOUR district stand on marijuana.