SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – On Thursday the South Dakota Department of Health released a draft of a document detailing rules for patients, manufacturers and medical marijuana dispensaries.

The legalization of medical marijuana will go into effect on July 1st.

Secretary of Health, Kim Malsam-Rysdon says the DOH is working on setting up a program and it has until the end of October to enact the final rules for medical marijuana.

“One of the things that we will need to do for the program is have verification systems, people will apply for a card and we need to be able to make sure that we are keeping track of those kinds of things, it will also be used for establishments that are either growing or selling medical cannabis and so we’ve got until the end of October to get that system in place and then we’ve got until the middle of November for cards to be issued,” South Dakota Secretary of Health, Kim Malsam-Rysdon said.

She says IM 26 outlined the criteria for people to qualify for medical marijuana.

“So, basically there’s a process by which a person would, in South Dakota, go to their physician and that physician would have to certify that person as having a debilitating medical condition,” Malsam-Rysdon said. “In addition to having that medical condition, the physician thinks that medical cannabis would help that person.”

Next week, the DOH will be holding two telephone town halls to get feedback and answer questions on the proposed rules.

“We want to make this a safe and responsible program that meets the needs of people across our state and is consistent with what the voters passed,” Malsam-Rysdon said.

The two town halls will be on Monday June 28th, one at 5:00 and one at 6:30, both central time.