The Rapid City Council will meet Monday to decide whether to issue five new medical cannabis licenses, following a city pause and the recent defeat of recreational marijuana legalization.
The city attorney confirmed that the Council’s decision is set for Monday, after a recommendation from the Legal and Finance Committee to lift the moratorium on new licenses. Currently, ten medical cannabis licenses are active in Rapid City, with the potential for five more to be approved.
Council’s Pause on Licensing and IM 29’s Impact
In the wake of South Dakotans rejecting recreational marijuana through Initiated Measure 29, the Rapid City Council had paused the issuance of new medical cannabis licenses.
At the time, there was uncertainty about how the state’s marijuana laws would evolve, so the Council opted to hold off on approving any new applications. The pause allowed officials to assess the broader implications of IM 29 and the future of cannabis regulation in South Dakota.
City Attorney Joel Landeen explained that a request had been made to provide guidance on whether the licenses should be issued at this juncture. Following the legal and electoral developments, the Legal and Finance Committee met on Wednesday and recommended that the Council lift the pause.
“We’ll continue to go down the priority list for applicants,” Landeen said, assuming the Council moves forward with the vote to lift the moratorium.
The Process for Issuing Medical Cannabis Licenses
With the potential for five new licenses, the next step is to consider the applicants on the city’s existing priority list. This list includes businesses and individuals who applied previously, and as long as the moratorium is lifted, the City Council can move forward with processing these applications.
The city has already granted ten medical cannabis licenses, and while that may seem like a small number, Rapid City has seen significant demand for medical cannabis since the approval of medical marijuana in South Dakota.
If the licenses are issued, Rapid City will see an increase in the number of medical dispensaries, which could provide greater access to patients seeking relief through cannabis.
What’s Next for Rapid City’s Cannabis Industry?
The outcome of Monday’s vote could have a significant impact on the local cannabis industry. The city attorney’s statement signals that Rapid City is ready to move forward with expanding its cannabis infrastructure. But the decision is far from a done deal, as Council members will need to weigh public opinion and the legal landscape when making their decision.
For now, the legal team and city officials are focused on the procedural aspects, with the anticipation of the meeting next week. If approved, the licenses will open the door to more dispensaries, ultimately providing greater access to patients who depend on medical cannabis in the area.
