A change that nearly doubles South Dakota's annual licensing fee for medical-marijuana businesses to $9,000 has cleared the Legislature's Rules Review Committee, but with less than unanimous support.
Committee members voted 4-1 on Tuesday in support of the change. The 'no' came from Democratic Sen. Red Dawn Foster, who questioned how the state Department of Health arrived at the $9,000 figure.
Emily Kerr, administrator for the state's medical-marijuana program, said the $9,000 amount was based on the budget needs. The program is funded by fees charged for businesses licenses and from fees paid for registration cards that the department issues to patients. The increase however affects only businesses.
Foster, who was participating remotely, didn't explain why she voted no. She had voted against an early version of the 2024 legislation that sought a $14,000 fee for 2025 but then voted for the final version authorizing the $9,000 fee for 2025.
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