Madison Central School Board starts discussion on medical cannabis policies

The Madison Central School Board is starting its discussion on policies regarding medical cannabis.  The board held first reading of a couple of new policies, as well as the amendments to a few existing policies, during its meeting on Monday.  Superintendent Joel Jorgenson said the new policies, which are several pages in length, have been put together by the Associated School Boards of South Dakota and the School Administrators of South Dakota as a guideline for districts across the state. 

Some of the information included in the new policy states that schools will not store, and school personnel will not administer, medical cannabis.  The parent or guardian or other registered designated caregiver will be the only person who may provide, administer, or assist a student with the consumption of medical cannabis.  

Jorgenson told the board that policies will need to be in place by November when the state Department of Health is scheduled to begin issuing medical marijuana ID cards.  He said that right now he has more questions than answers, and that the policies will continue to change as more is learned about how this will be handled.