PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A Day County resident received the first medical marijuana card issued by the state of South Dakota. 

On Thursday the South Dakota Medical Cannabis Program announced “the first medical cannabis patient cards were printed and issued.” 

A news release quotes Geno Adams, South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Program Administrator. 

“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,” Adams said in the release. 

The release says the first card being issued met a deadline set from medical cannabis law voters passed overwhelmingly in 2020. 

The South Dakota Medical Cannabis Program thanked “unwavering commitment of Government Noem and the South Dakota Department of Health to deliver a safe and responsible medical cannabis program.”

In July, Native Nations Cannabis on the Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation opened for people with tribal issued medical marijuana cards.

Ned Horsted, Executive Director of the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, told KELOLAND News no cultivation licenses have been granted by the state at this time, so there’s no business growing marijuana for medical use right now.