Beating the black market: South Dakota's largest marijuana company arrives in Sioux Falls

Genesis Farms Cannabis' slow rollout strategy aimed at undercutting illegal drug dealers

South Dakota’s largest commercial marijuana operation is entering the market months after its state-licensed competitors began dispensing cannabis in the Mount Rushmore State.

But members of the Genesis Farms Cannabis (GFC) executive team say their slow rollout — including a Sioux Falls dispensary that made its first sales Friday — has been strategic, and not only gives it an advantage over other dispensaries, but also illegal drug dealers still hawking weed on the streets.

"I want to beat the black market. I want it to make no sense — why would you not want to come here, the quality and everything else,” GFC owner Justin Johnson told The Dakota Scout. “But in order to do that, it was a huge time commitment.”

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