Local hemp shops assess next steps for business

RAPID CITY, S.D. — With over half of South Dakota voters saying yes to recreational and medical marijuana, lawmakers must now figure out the next steps before cannabis hits the shelves.

For some local hemp shops, the road to legalization is paved with ambiguity, having to plan ahead with little information.

The owner of Rapid City’s Hemporium Boutique and Dispensary Leonard Vandermate says combing through stipulations is one of his main concerns as they vary from region to region.

“Some of the challenges that you’re going to find is gonna be on the municipality side because each municipality can dictate their own laws, their own rules, how many dispensaries, where the dispensaries can be, the whole nine yards,” said Vandermate.

He adds that not having the complete picture, including not knowing what the cost of licensing will be, impedes on his ability to hire and expand his business.