SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been nearly a year since the first state licensed cannabis dispensary opened in South Dakota, and the industry has seen big shifts in the ensuing 12 months.
While the program was slow off the blocks — the first state licensed dispensaries opened more than 7 months after the first state medical cards were issued — there are now dispensary, cultivation and manufacturing facilities open in many parts of the state.
Ben Nesselhuf, CEO of True North Dispensary in North Sioux City, says his business has been open since December 15, 2022, and they’ve been doing business for around six-and-a-half months.
“It’s been educational,” Nesselhuf chuckled when asked how the past six months had gone. “It’s definitely exciting to be a part of a new industry.”
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True North was not the first dispensary to open in the state — though it was among the first crop to open its doors — and Nesselhuf said that was intentional.
“We held off [from opening] intentionally simply because we only have a dispensary license — we don’t have a cultivator or manufacturer license —