South Dakota Medical Marijuana Card Cost

How Much Does the South Dakota Medical Marijuana Card Cost?

Both residents and visitors can apply to join the South Dakota medical cannabis program. The program issues MMJ cards to patients and caregivers. To apply for one, schedule a visit with an eligible medical provider to issue a medical cannabis certification. Medical practitioners initiate patient registration when they submit their certifications to the application portal. Patients receive emails prompting them to register to the South Dakota medical cannabis program and may designate caregivers during their registration.

Cost of Physician Consultation

South Dakota accepts patient certifications for medical cannabis use from physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses. These professionals must be authorized to prescribe drugs to humans and must be licensed to practice in the states where the patients they certify reside. To be approved to certify patients for medical marijuana in the state, eligible medical practitioners must enroll in the South Dakota medical cannabis program. Before certifying a patient, an enrolled medical provider must confirm that the patient has one of the qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use in South Dakota. While patients do not pay for medical cannabis certifications, they are expected to schedule appointments with their medical providers and pay for the consultations leading to getting certified. The cost of such consultations usually varies from $100 to $400.

South Dakota Medical Marijuana Card Fee

To receive a patient MMJ card in South Dakota, the applicant must pay a non-refundable fee of $75. Low-income applicants, who can show proof of gross monthly household income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, qualify for a reduced fee of $20. In addition to the application fee, patients planning to cultivate marijuana for personal use at home must pay an additional $20 fee for a two-part MMJ card.

The $75 medical cannabis patient card covers the cost of a caregiver card too. However, the state charges an additional $20 for each caregiver designated beyond the primary caregiver. Note that caregivers must provide the results of their background checks while registering. This criminal history check may require providing fingerprint cards to law enforcement. The fee for this check must be paid by the caregiver.

South Dakota medical cannabis cards must be renewed annually. The cost of renewal is the same as the fee paid for issuing a new card.