Mass patient certification event aims to relieve demand for medical marijuana cards in South Dakota

In the 19 months since South Dakotan voted to legalize medical marijuana, fewer than 500 patients have been certified by the state health department for a medical marijuana identification card.

But a Michigan-based business, which connects individuals seeking state certification to use cannabis for medicinal purposes with physicians eligible to make that recommendation, is hoping to change that.

"Despite being available since November, only a few South Dakota residents have been able to obtain a state-issued medical cannabis card due to the limited number of doctors authorized to certify patients in the state,” said Molefi Branson, the founder of MyMarijuanaCards.com.

As of Tuesday, the Department of Health had issued just 419 medical marijuana cards to patients. Branson's nationally leading medical cannabis certification and telehealth company kicked off the state's first-ever, three-day mass patient screening event Tuesday in downtown Sioux Falls. The event was dubbed “Marijuana Spring Fling,” and runs through Thursday.

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While several websites and companies exist to connect cannabis-friendly doctors with aspiring medical marijuana cardholders, Branson said South Dakota's medical marijuana law requires South Dakotans receive certification from a medical professional licensed to practice medicine before they can be considered for a card through the DOH. The law also requires screenings be in person, not over the telephone or via video conference, as allowed in several other states.

That, coupled with apprehension among the healthcare systems in South Dakota to provide direction to their physicians about certifying patients, has made certification a challenge for many, including a handful of the clients who attended the event Tuesday.

An individual identifying himself as Mark said following the election in 2020 when medical marijuana was approved at the polls, he wrongly assumed the process of obtaining a medical marijuana card through the state would be relatively simple.

But not having doctors available has made it nearly impossible, he said. Mark declined to share his last name, because of the remaining stigmas and potential legality issues involving cannabis use.

"I figured it would be a hell of a lot easier," he said, paying the $275 fee for a consultation with one of two doctors working at MyMarijuanaCards.com's event.

While both the Sioux Falls-area's leading healthcare organizations, Sanford Health and Avera Health, have publicly taken a neutral position on medical marijuana — leaving the decision to certify patients for medical cannabis use up to individual doctors — the way the state law is written has many physicians hesitant.

That's because right now, when a doctor certifies a patient, they're attesting they will see a "therapeutic or palliative benefit" from the medical use of cannabis.

Branson said his company made hundreds of inquiries to physicians around the state without any success in finding doctors to partner with.

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So Branson found physicians primarily based in Illinois and Missouri to obtain licensure in South Dakota who were willing to travel to the Mount Rushmore State for the mass-screening event. And through midday, more than 100 patients had been certified as qualifying for medical marijuana at mass-screening event.

"The demand is so high and we had zero luck with any practitioners in South Dakota wanting to put their neck out for patients," he said. "So we had to get them licensed here."

Any residents who want to participate in the screening are required to register in advance by calling MyMarijuanaCards Sioux Falls at (605) 961-5711, according to a press release by the company.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls hosts SD's first mass medical marijuana patient screening