State health worker uses job to forge medical marijuana card, SD prosecutors say
A 24-year-old woman used her job as a state employee to forge her medical marijuana card, South Dakota prosecutors said.
Alexandra Feiner, of Pierre, is now facing multiple criminal charges including forgery, offering false or forged instrument for filing, possession of a forged instrument and falsification of public records by a public officer or employee, the South Dakota State's Attorney's Office said in a June 2 news release.
The woman was working for the South Dakota Department of Health where she was able to use her job to avoid medical provider certifications and fees necessary to obtain the card, according to prosecutors. She fraudulently obtained the card between March 2024 and March 2025, officials said.
McClatchy News reached out to the South Dakota Department of Health but did not immediately receive a response.
'This type of conduct reflects poorly on those state government employees who work hard for South Dakotans,' Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a statement.
According to court documents, the employee fraudulently created a new medical marijuana card for herself after her card obtained in 2023 expired, KELO reported. Officials said she had the ability to create and issue these cards through her work at the health department, according to the local news outlet.
Marijuana is only legal for medical use in South Dakota after voters rejected a ballot measure to legalize recreational use in 2024, according to the South Dakota Searchlight.
If convicted, Feiner faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the state's attorney's office.
Pierre is about a 220-mile drive northwest from Sioux Falls.
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