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How to check a South Dakota medical cannabis dispensary

In South Dakota, only dispensaries registered with the Department of Health (DOH) may sell medical cannabis, and only to people with a registry card.1 Check the dispensary on DOH’s list before you buy. If it isn’t listed, don’t buy there.

Checked against the South Dakota Department of Health, Medical Cannabis Program (DOH) on . Next review: .

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.

1. Make sure your registry card is current

First a practitioner certifies you in DOH’s online registry. Then you apply online, and DOH mails your card.1 A card lasts up to one year.2 You can send a renewal up to 45 days before it expires.3

A standard card costs $75, or $20 if you have a low income.1 DOH says it does not work with any outside company to help with applications. The only fee is the application fee.1 For help, call DOH’s Office of Medical Cannabis at 605-773-3361 .1

Visiting from another state? You must register with DOH before you buy. Your registration is good at no more than two dispensaries, which you choose when you register. Nonresidents may not grow cannabis.3

DOH: information for patients and caregivers

2. Check the dispensary on DOH’s list

DOH’s list shows each registered dispensary’s legal name, its store name (“doing business as”) and its city.4

  1. Go to DOH’s establishments list .
  2. Look in the Dispensary Establishments table. Find the store by its store name or its legal name.
  3. Check that the city matches where the store is. If you can’t find the store, don’t buy there.
  4. Want to know more? DOH also posts inspection reports for dispensaries, with compliance history.5

At the counter: before selling to you, the dispensary must check that your card is valid, check your photo ID, and check the state tracking system to make sure you are under your limit.2 The limit is 3 ounces in any 14-day period, counted as a rolling total.6

No delivery: state rules say every sale must take place at a registered dispensary.3

3. Check the label

Every batch must be tested before it reaches the dispensary, for THC potency, microbes, mycotoxins, metals, pesticides and solvents.3 The label must show the test results, THC in milligrams and as a percent, an expiration date, batch numbers, and the registration numbers of the businesses that grew, made and sold it.3

Look for the warning “Contains cannabis. For medical use by qualifying patients only.” Edibles must also carry the state cannabis symbol and a warning that effects may not be felt for up to four hours.3 The package must be child-resistant, tamper-evident and opaque.3

Recalls: DOH says it will post product recalls on its News & Updates page . If you have a recalled product, contact the dispensary where you bought it.7

Warning signs

  • Anyone else selling “medical cannabis.” Buying outside the registered dispensaries is illegal.1
  • A store that doesn’t ask for your card and ID. A dispensary must check both before every sale.2
  • A label with cartoons, toys or fruit, or the word “candy.” State rules don’t allow these on labels.3
  • A company charging extra to “get you a card.” DOH says it has no outside vendors. Be careful with any business offering to help you apply.1

Tribal medical cannabis is a separate program

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe runs its own medical marijuana program. Its card lets you buy cannabis products on the Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation.8 It is not part of the state program, so it is not on DOH’s list.

Hemp and CBD shops are not dispensaries

Delta-8 THC and similar products are often made from hemp and sold in gas stations, CBD shops and smoke shops. DOH says it does not regulate them, and they are not held to its testing standards.9

A federal law sets a new total-THC limit for hemp products starting November 12, 2026.10

If something doesn’t look right

You can file a complaint about a dispensary or other medical cannabis business with DOH online. To have it investigated, you must fill in every field, including your name and email. You can attach photos or documents.11

File a complaint with DOH · How to report a problem

Official source

South Dakota’s cannabis regulator: South Dakota Department of Health, Medical Cannabis Program (DOH)

These links go to the regulator’s own website. CHSA does not copy or host license records, so you always see the official, current version.

Sources

  1. Medical Cannabis Information for Patients, Caregivers, & Practitioners (with Patient & Caregiver FAQs) South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved
  2. South Dakota Codified Laws, Chapter 34-20G (Medical Cannabis) South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council · Retrieved
  3. Administrative Rules of South Dakota, Article 44:90 (Medical Cannabis) South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council · Retrieved
  4. Medical Cannabis Establishments List South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved
  5. Medical Cannabis Inspection Reports South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved
  6. Medical Cannabis Purchase Limits South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved
  7. Medical Cannabis News and Announcements (product recalls and safety notices) South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved
  8. Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Medical Marijuana Program: Instructions to Document Patient Eligibility Form Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe · Published · Retrieved
  9. Delta-8 and Other Alternative Cannabinoids (fact sheet) South Dakota Department of Health, Medical Cannabis Program · Retrieved
  10. Public Law 119-37, Division B, § 781 (amends 7 U.S.C. 1639o, the hemp definition) U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo) · Published · Retrieved
  11. Medical Cannabis Establishment Complaint Form South Dakota Department of Health · Retrieved

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CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.