Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County review Medical Marijuana implementation concerns while legalization nears

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Minnehaha County Commissioner Jeff Barth says in light of over 70 percent of voters approving medical marijuana, there should be no delay in moving forward with July first, the date it is to become legal.

Barth is frustrated in what he believes to be the stalling of working out the details.

“So, the powers that be, want Minnehaha County to put a moratorium on medical marijuana operations. Now they’ve had since last November, to try to get their ducks in order. They didn’t in fact they did everything they could to prevent it from moving forward. And now we’re getting to the tenth hour, and they’re asking us to take the hit because they have refused to do their job,” said Barth.

Of the fifteen years, he’s been a commissioner, this is the first time he’s seen a template to assist the county to write an ordinance.

“And I happen to know that the governor has pushed it off for the legislature, they want to do it. And I’m not going to do it, it might be that our Minnehaha County will do it. But I’m opposed to it. I don’t think that unless the governor apologizes for her in action. I’m not going to back this kind of a move,” said Barth.

Sioux Falls City Councilor Greg Neitzert has been researching licensing, locations, and even the number of dispensaries in the city.

“We need to do something in the interim, it wouldn’t be a moratorium, but something is so that we could wait until we have regulations because we don’t even know what the regulatory framework is going to be the counties have to wrestle with this as well are they going to allow people to grow marijuana in the county, that’s their decision, they’re gonna have to decide on that. But cities are also gonna have to make that same determination as well. So we both have our own jurisdictions and then we have our joint jurisdiction. So that’s where we need to work together,” said Neitzert.

Neitzert says he has briefed Mayor Ten Haken on his findings. Whether the city or the county will be ready for the legalization of Medical Marijuana, is yet to be seen.

“If it just goes into effect. Coming up on July 1 That’s the way it goes,” said Barth.

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