Politics
South Dakota Sees Surge In Patients Growing Medical Marijuana At Home
The number of medical cannabis patients licensed for homegrow has increased by more than 1,000 percent over four years.
By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight
A South Dakota Health Department official told lawmakers Monday that the number of medical marijuana patients in the state who are licensed to grow medical cannabis at home has grown by more than 1,000 percent over the past four years.
Whitney Brunner, administrator of the state’s medical cannabis program, told the legislative Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee during a meeting at the Capitol in Pierre that the number of home cultivators grew from 61 in fiscal year 2022 to 715 in fiscal year 2026—an increase of 1,072 percent.
Medical marijuana has been legal in South Dakota since 2021, but recreational marijuana use remains prohibited.
Home cultivators may not grow more than two flowering cannabis plants and two non-flowering cannabis plants, according to state law.
Patients can add a home cultivation license to their medical marijuana card for $20. Applicants must submit a photo of the grow room, a photo of the lock on the door and a diagram of the grow location. Brunner said those diagrams are often hand-drawn and lack detail.
“The lack of regulation in this area is a bit concerning for us,” Brunner told lawmakers.
Brunner said she doesn’t want to assume home cultivators are abusing the licenses, but said the department is considering tighter regulation.
“We have looked into if there is anything more that can be done, but I think that’s a greater conversation to be had,” Brunner said. “It does present some legal and safety considerations if we were to attempt to regulate this further.”
Brunner did not say if new regulation would require legislation. Committee member Sen. John Carley, R-Rapid City, told South Dakota Searchlight after the meeting that lawmakers hope to learn more.
“We were glad the department had more information,” Carley said. “Many of us will be looking at that exact item and will come back to that concern next meeting.”
The rise in home cultivation comes amid growth in the overall program. At the end of June, there were 19,375 medical marijuana cardholders in South Dakota—a 30.5 percent increase from 14,843 last fiscal year.
“We did experience a true spike in early fiscal year 2026 but, by fall, that number had started to level off,” Brunner said, adding that the number of cardholders in the state “remained fairly stable” most of the year.
Most cardholders are in their 30s and 40s, according to department data, and more than 70 percent report severe debilitating pain as a reason for their cannabis use.
This story was first published by South Dakota Searchlight.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
