Watch the Dakota News Now Story About Senate Bill 1

On Tuesday, March 6th, the South Dakota House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1 (“SB 1”) in a close 36-32 vote. SB 1 will expand the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis by adding cancer, epilepsy, MS, ALS, PTSD, Crohn’s disease, AIDS, and HIV.

Dakota News Now covered the House’s passage of SB 1. We encourage you to check it this TV story!

It featured an interview with Becky Letsche from Madison, SD. Becky served in the army for six years as a combat medic and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2010-2011. She was injured during her service in Afghanistan and was medically retired. Two years after she returned home, she developed PTSD.

Becky Letsche speaking on Dakota News Now

“I had tried several different therapies traditional therapies and medications, but they weren’t working. I was kind of at my wit’s end and I had heard from other veterans that have used medical marijuana and it was really helping them with their PTSD,” Letsche said.

Becky decided to try medical cannabis herself, and she said the results were life-changing.

“I was able to get off the dangerous medication, I was able to get off prescription narcotics for pain, and medical marijuana was helping me do that,” Letsche said.

Becky testified in support of SB 1 in front of the House Health and Human Services Committee on March 28, along with other advocates including Jamie Giedd and Clint Wood.

“A lot of the representatives said now that they’ve heard our stories that it changed their mind,” Letsche said.

SDBML is proud to have Becky on our team and we commend her bravery.

Matthew Schweich, Executive Director of SDBML, speaks to Dakota News Now.

Also appearing in the story was Matt Schweich, executive director from SDBML.

“Sometimes people use the pharmaceutical options and they just don’t work. And we think cannabis should be there as a legal and safe option if a person and a healthcare provider decide it’s in their best interest,” Matthew Schweich said, the executive director of South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws.

“Somebody with severe MS or epilepsy, who is suffering from really severe symptoms, should not be a criminal for using cannabis,” Schweich said.

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