South Dakota legislation that explicitly prohibits women who are pregnant or breastfeeding from joining the state’s medical marijuana program was signed into law today by Governor Kristi Noem.
House Bill 1053, “An Act to prohibit the issuance of a written certification to a pregnant woman or breastfeeding mother for purposes of medical cannabis use”, was filed by State Representative Fred Deutsh along with 15 cosponsors, all Republican.
The measure was passed by the state’s House of Representatives in January with 61 voting in favor and eight opposed. Earlier this month it passed the Senate unanimously, 31 to 0.
House Bill 1053 makes South Dakota the first state in the country to pass a law banning health practitioners from issuing medical marijuana cards to pregnant or breastfeeding women. A somewhat similar law in Alabama was approved by the state’s Senate last year, but failed in the House. That law would have required women of childbearing age to show proof of a negative pregnancy test before they could apply to become a medical marijuana patient.
Last week Governor Noem signed into law legislation that greatly expands the list of conditions that qualify an individual to become a medical marijuana patient in South Dakota has been signed into law by Governor Kristi Noem.
