State-licensed medical marijuana store opens next week

Assosiated Press
Wed, Jul 20

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Patients enrolled in South Dakota's medical marijuana program will have their first opportunity to buy cannabis from a state-licensed facility next week.

It has been a year and a-half since state voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana. The co-owner of one dispensary, United Rd. in Hartford, says the business has secured the first initial inventory available to state-run stores and the showroom is ready for customers.

The building was created with security in mind, said co-owner B.J. Olson.

“We started with a vault and then built the building around the vault. We have eight inch poured concrete walls, reinforced with rebar,” Olson said.

The business is a Unity Rd. franchise, KELO-TV reported.

“The beauty of partnering with someone already established that has a plan in place is that we obtained the play book,” co-owner Adam Jorgensen said. “This is stuff that we don’t have the ability to go out and procure on our own. This is part of the design team that comes specifically with our partnership with Unity Rd.”

Their franchise partnership means all their display tables, cases and security devices in the building are all the same as other Unity Rd. locations across the country.

Medical marijuana so far has only been available on tribal land in South Dakota, but next Wednesday Unity Rd. will be the first state-licensed dispensary to offer cannabis.

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