In South Dakota, you can’t buy recreational marijuana. You can purchase medical marijuana, which was recently passed. But recreational marijuana laws have not yet been passed, so it is unavailable for purchase to recreational users.
That said, the number of states that do offer recreational marijuana is growing year by year. It’s permitted to be sold in places like Washington, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado and California. You can find locations from one side of the United States to the other where these purchases are completely legal and you don’t have to worry about being arrested.
What people sometimes decide is that they’re just going to go to another location to buy marijuana products. You may not be able to buy recreationally in South Dakota, but can’t you just make a legal purchase somewhere else and then bring it back with you?
This creates two problems
You cannot do this, and there are two reasons why. The first is that crossing state lines with marijuana could mean that you are guilty of a federal crime. Federal law still prohibits the use of recreational marijuana, and crossing state lines with it can turn it into a federal issue, not just a state issue.
But the second reason is that recreational marijuana is still illegal in South Dakota, no matter where you bought it. Telling a police officer that you made a legal purchase is not going to get you out of those charges if you’ve been arrested. So that would still be a possibility even if you made a legal purchase somewhere else.
Changing laws
Marijuana laws are changing frequently in this country. It’s important for all those who are facing charges to know exactly what legal options they have.