Lincoln County officials have once again tabled a decision on some of their regulations around medical marijuana until later this month.
And that may not be the last time the county delays its action on the matter as the clock continues to tick down.
The move was made at Tuesday’s Lincoln County Commission meeting, where commissioners had already tabled the ordinance following changes made in June.
More: Lincoln County tables marijuana ordinance
Those changes included the removal of restrictions such as caps on licensing numbers and forbidding sales on holidays, and the ability to vertically integrate the various aspects of the business, like allowing marijuana to be grown and sold in the same location.
But commissioners were still looking for more changes, primarily lowering the fees required to apply for a license to operate a medical cannabis establishment.
Those changes will require another hearing for the bill, which will take place at the commission’s July 29 meeting.
More: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County say their rules on medical marijuana are coming soon
And it may not be the last change, according to officials involved in Wednesday’s meeting of the Initiated Measure 26 task force, a joint effort on navigating medical marijuana between Sioux Falls city officials and Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. The addition of the vertical integration may require an alteration to the earlier planning and zoning ordinances.
IM-26 took effect July 1, making medical marijuana legal throughout the state of South Dakota. But the South Dakota Department of Health has until Oct. 29 to enact the rules and regulations around its usage, growth, sale and more.
More: South Dakota health department proposes a $5,000 yearly fee for commercial cannabis businesses
Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County have also held off on making too many regulatory decisions about medical marijuana, citing concerns about the clarity around the state’s rules.
But with those rules now proposed, though not yet finalized, by the South Dakota Department of Health and the timelines growing shorter, the ordinances will likely be brought to meetings sometime in August.
