PIERRE, S.D.(WNAX)- The South Dakota Board of Education Standards approved rules for the use of medical marijuana in state schools starting this fall.

Department of Education lawyer Diane Roy told the board it’s a new area for everyone.

Roy says they recognize the mandate the issue got from the voters.

Roy says the Education Department has only part of the rule making authority.

Wade Pogany, Executive Director of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, says the board and Department of Education had to find a balance.

Pogany says they were involved in the rules writing process.

Pogany says they will help school districts implement the rules.

While the law is effective on July first,  providers won’t prescribe medical marijuana until late October.

The state rules are patterned after those used in Colorado.