Legislative graphic.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — The saga of Senate Bill 24 is ending with a trip to the governor’s desk. Both chambers of the Legislature adopted a new version of the bill, allowing for home cultivation of medical cannabis.
The conference committee came to a compromise of 2 flowering or mature plants and 2 non-flowering or immature plants. This comes after the House passed a version of the bill prohibiting home cultivation entirely. The Senate passed a version allowing 3 mature and 3 immature plants.
The conference committee report met some resistance from the Senate floor. Opponents in the Senate say the will of the voters was three plants… so the Legislature should honor that.
Proponents of adopting the report say agreeing to the compromise is better than doing nothing. If the chambers hadn’t adopted the report, the current law in IM 26 would stand and have a minimum of 3 plants for home cultivation.
The committee failed to reach an agreement about what to do for cardholders who will have more than 4 plants in their possession when the new law goes into effect in July.
(Kyle Ireland, SDBA, contributed this report.)
