HARRISBURG, S.D. (KELO) — The Dispensary, a new medical cannabis shop, held its ribbon cutting in Harrisburg, S.D. Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first dispensary to open in the city.
The event was attended by members of the public, local business owners, the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and the city’s mayor.
“I was born and raised in South Dakota — a life-long Harrisburg resident — it’s an emotional day for me,” said Ned Horsted, CEO of The Dispensary ahead of the ribbon cutting.
Horsted was excited to open in Harrisburg. “I spent kindergarten all the way through graduation in Harrisburg,” he said. “We’re very excited to be the first dispensary in town.”
Along with The Dispensary, Horsted is also the CEO of 605 Cannabis, a marijuana wholesaler and manufacturer. The Dispensary, he said, is a separate business.
The Dispensary does carry products from 605 Cannabis, but also from other wholesalers across the state as well.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Horsted said of the collaboration in the industry. “You’ve seen in the industry a lot of operators that tend to work well together and we’re happy to support those that support the cause.”
Horsted is familiar with the cannabis cause — he served as the first Executive Director of the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota.
“We’ve had solid growth in the industry. I think just recently you started to see the card numbers plateau and I think there’s a lot of folks that are still unable to get cards because of the restrictions put in place,” said Horsted, who is an advocate for adult use recreational marijuana as well as medical.
Derek Ricci, Executive Director for the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce was in attendance at the ribbon cutting.
“You know it really well,” said Ricci. “When Ned approached us about membership of the chamber, you know, we were excited — any time you can have a new business that comes to town, especially from two, you know, homegrown business owners, that’s always a good thing to celebrate.”
Ricci said that the addition of The Dispensary to Harrisburg brings a legal option to the city for those approved to treat medical conditions with cannabis. “It’s something that the local residents won’t have to travel for. It’s a service that they can get right in their neighborhood,” he said.
Harrisburg Mayor Derick Wenck was also in attendance at the ribbon cutting. He said he was excited for the business to come to town and that he will be glad to have the potential sales tax coming in as well.
Overall, Wenck said the city has been “pretty open” to the idea of medical marijuana, but added the main obstacle was finding a suitable location with all the schools scattered throughout the town.
While the ribbon cutting for The Dispensary was Tuesday, Horsted said the business has been operating for about a month and a half, working out the kinks before the official opening. “People seem to be excited to welcome this to the community here and we’re happy to be a part of it,” he said.
