South Dakotans affected by one of 28 qualification conditions have been eligible to receive medical cannabis cards since November but gaining access to the newly regulated market may be more of a challenge than expected.

As of March 29, the state’s Department of Health (DOH) had only approved 90 doctors to recommend medical cannabis to their patients, CBS-affiliate KELOLAND News reported.

That has left patient and business participation crawling along.

Those 90 doctors are currently the gatekeepers to the program, as prospective patients need to have an in-person visit with a physician whom they have “bona fide” relationship with as part of a five-step process to be issued a medical cannabis card. 

After that in-person visit, the physician determines whether the patient would benefit from the “therapeutic or palliative use” of medical cannabis for one of the qualifying conditions. That physician must then create an account with the DOH for each patient before the patient can apply for a medical card.

When announcing the issuance of the state’s first medical cannabis patient cards in November, medical cannabis program administrator Geno Adams said, “Today marks the culmination of months of hard work in preparation for the kickoff of a responsive and efficient medical cannabis program for eligible South Dakotans. In the months ahead, we will continue to ensure that patients and their caregivers can continue to obtain medical cannabis permits in accordance with their written certifications.”

Since then, program administrators have approved 306 patient card applications, as of March 29, with 21 applications pending, according to DOH data. Zero applications have been denied, but it’s unclear how many patients never had the opportunity to apply without the approval from their doctors. 

The 90 approved doctors represent 4.1% of the total active physicians in the state, but 10.7% of the primary care physicians, according to a 2019-2020 South Dakota Physician Workforce Profile.

Meanwhile, South Dakota’s DOH has approved 126 medical cannabis dispensary applications and 16 cultivation facility licenses.

With 306 approved patients, each of those aspiring cannabis retailers could currently serve 2.4 patients on average, while each of the aspiring cannabis cultivators could currently grow product for 19.1 patients on average.

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