An effort to rein in so-called “pop up” medical cannabis clinics in South Dakota was rejected by the state’s lawmakers on Wednesday.

The Forum News Service reports that the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted against a pair of bills that would have “made myriad changes to cannabis law in the state: banning certain advertisements for prescription services; requiring certain actions by doctors and other providers to establish a ‘bona fide’ relationship and allowing prescription to occur only in certain facilities, most of them related to medical care in some manner.”

South Dakota voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 that legalized medical cannabis treatment for qualifying patients. 

The new law officially took effect in 2021, and the first state-sanctioned dispensaries opened to customers last year. 

Since then, a number of “pop up” clinics have opened, offering medical cannabis prescriptions to patients in mere minutes. 

Supporters of the two measures rejected by the state Senate committee on Wednesday contend that those clinics are “allowing those seeking medicinal cannabis to earn their cards without the proper, professional examination inherent to the law,” according to the Forum News Service.

Both bills failed by “wide margins,” the Forum News Service reported, noting that opponents to the measures “said the increased oversight and potential punishments would have the consequence of hurting the rate of providers opting into the medical marijuana program, an already present difficulty in the nascent program that creates a hole filled by ‘pop-up’ clinics.”

“The program is brand new, and we don’t want to go backward with law by just saying, ‘We’ve got to stop this right now,” said state Sen. Erin Tobin, of Winner, as quoted by the Forum News Service. “Because I know it’s a problem. We’ll get there.”

But the chief supporter of the proposals said that the pop-up clinics “blur the line” between medical and recreational pot. 

A measure to legalize recreational cannabis was rejected by South Dakota voters last year.

“The voters said yes to establishing a medical marijuana system, and they said no to establishing a recreational marijuana system,” said state House Rep. Fred Deutsch, the supporter of the bills.

The Mount Rushmore State has had a complicated history with cannabis policy as of late. Despite rejecting last year’s recreational pot proposal, South Dakota voters had approved an amendment to end the prohibition on pot in 2020. 

But that amendment faced an immediate legal challenge led by the state’s Republican governor, Kristi Noem, and was ultimately struck down by the South Dakota Supreme Court in 2021. 

“South Dakota is a place where the rule of law and our Constitution matter, and that’s what today’s decision is about,” Noem said at the time of the court’s ruling. “We do things right—and how we do things matters just as much as what we are doing. We are still governed by the rule of law. This decision does not affect my Administration’s implementation of the medical cannabis program voters approved in 2020. That program was launched earlier this month, and the first cards have already gone out to eligible South Dakotans.”

The state Senate voted last month to broaden the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis treatment.

Under the original statute, patients with the following would qualify for the treatment: A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasms.

The measure passed last month would expand the list to include: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or positive status for human immunodeficiency virus; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Multiple sclerosis; Cancer or its treatment, if associated with Crohn’s disease; Epilepsy and seizures; Glaucoma; or Post-traumatic stress disorder.

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The popular pop-up dedicated to the brilliant post-Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, called “Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit New York,” will partner with cannabis lifestyle purveyor HappyMunkey for a special bring-your-own-cannabis (BYOC) event in New York City that will allow guests experience the exhibition after indulging in the herb outside.

By now, you’ve probably seen ads in your feeds for the mesmerizing immersive experience featuring one of the most respected artists in painting history. Immersive Van Gogh exhibitions are now in nearly 30 majors cities dotting the U.S.

The exhibit is created by artist Massimiliano Siccardi and Hamilton’s David Korins and according to its site, “with the help of 60,600 frames of video, 90,000,000 pixels, and 500,000+ cubic feet of projections, this captivating digital art exhibit merges state-of-the-art technology, theatrical storytelling, and world-class animation.”

Siccardi’s installations have been seen by over two million visitors in Paris, France. The event’s first showing took place on August 11. The second “HappyMunkey After Dark” event is set to take place on August 18, from 9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. ET. Tickets cost between $125 and $200—a bit higher than the normal $40-70 price tag for the exhibition.

Guests will gain access to a “waterfront consumption lounge experience” as smoking is prohibited inside the venue. The event will also provide access to a rental cushion in case you run out of energy, and a swag bag with event-specific merchandise—including a commemorative pin and a poster. 

“The event and waterfront consumption lounge experience is curated by HappyMunkey, a New York City cannabis lifestyle purveyor, providing its members an entrance to the New York cannabis lifestyle through events, podcasts, multimedia and editorial content,” the company stated.

You can even download the Immersive Van Gogh app from Google Play or the App Store. The Lighthouse Immersive app will give you access to “one-of-a-kind augmented reality elements at the original Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit New York City.” 

A pass for Immersive Van Gogh is included in the HappyMunkey package. Cannabis will not be provided, however, but the event is BYOC. In New York, possession of cannabis is legal for adults, but the adult-use retail system is not in operation.

Artnet reports that the Immersive Van Gogh has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. Pop-up events have sprung up in more than 20 cities across the country.

The experience arrived in New York this summer, setting up shop at Pier 36 NYC. Feverish anticipation followed: More than 250,000 advance tickets were sold before the opening, the event’s organizers said in June.  

Van Gogh and Absinthe

There is no evidence that Van Gogh smoked any cannabis, however he chain-smoked tobacco out of his trusty pipe—often having only coffee and a cigarette for meals. He even believed that tobacco’s stimulant effects combined with coffee would manifest in his manic painting style.

But Van Gogh drank the mysterious green drink called absinthe to the point of excess. Absinthe was also believed to cause the drinker to see yellow hue around objects, which some say can be seen in paintings such as “Starry Night.” But many skeptics are doubtful that enough absinthe could have been consumed to create this effect.

Back in 1977, High Times profiled the “Green Fairy”, which was believed to induce hallucinations. However, experts have debunked many of the exaggerated effects of absinthe, saying that psychoactive effects due to thujone—the active ingredient in absinthe—are minimal at best, and that most of the effects are due to alcohol.

Nowadays, absinthe is more or less a novelty drink that is consumed using a specially designed spoon and sugar cubes to complete the ritual.

Buy tickets for “Immersive Van Gogh New York” here. 

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