South Dakota’s pioneering cannabis advocate and licensed operator is executing a quiet but unmistakable withdrawal from the public and political arena she once dominated — just as the federal partial rescheduling she helped make possible delivers its toughest tests to small operators.¹
Melissa Mentele, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of 605 Cannabis LLC (and longtime force behind New Approach South Dakota), made her intentions clear in a recent podcast appearance on Founders Future.² While correcting the host’s introduction that she was CEO (noting her business partner holds that title), Mentele openly discussed her desire to unwind from daily operations at the company she helped build.³
“I Am Looking to Move Away” — The Transition Plan
In the episode, Mentele stated she had already begun the shift:
“Professionally, I am looking to move away from being part of 605 daily operations… My goal is to separate myself out and get to a point where, legally, I’m able to be the person that can do that speaking and educating.”⁴
She confirmed her last full-time day on-site was March 28 (prior year), though she had stepped back in temporarily to cover staffing gaps.⁵ The plan: return to consulting, public speaking (she recently secured a contract for MJBizCon in Las Vegas), patient education seminars, and lobbying through New Approach South Dakota — the public advocacy group she still owns.⁶
Yet the reality on the ground tells a different story. Since the April 2026 federal partial rescheduling (Schedule I to III), Mentele has gone entirely silent on policy, industry impacts, and public advocacy across her platforms.⁷ Her recent personal Facebook posts focus on family, personal matters, and nature gratitude — with zero commentary on DEA deadlines, state conformity issues, or the challenges now facing small operators.⁸
From Ballot Warrior to Silent Observer
This marks a dramatic evolution. Mentele spent nearly a decade as Executive Director of New Approach SD, coordinating 11 of 13 voter initiatives, drafting IM 26 (medical cannabis), and helping pass both medical and recreational measures in 2020 — a historic first.⁹ She transitioned into operations at 605 Cannabis, building a vertical operation in Canton that supplies ~90% of the state’s dispensaries.¹⁰
But even a year ago, the signals of stepping back were present. The podcast discussion reveals she had been planning the operational exit for some time, citing the restrictions on licensed operators (no medical claims, no education) as handcuffs preventing her from doing the advocacy and education work she loves.¹¹
The Knowledge Gap Moment — And the TPO Response
In December 2025, during a Dakota News Now appearance discussing federal rescheduling, Mentele’s comments suggested a limited grasp of the looming mechanics: DEA registration deadlines (June 2026), conformity triggers, and the economic pressures on small players.¹²
When WeedPress highlighted these federal realities — realities this outlet has tracked for 17 years through treaty analysis, administrative pathways, and policy documentation — Mentele’s response was not substantive engagement. In the wake of that exchange, she filed the third Temporary Protection Order petition against this writer and WeedPress.¹³
That petition, like the others, was denied after hearing. Courts have now denied her relief seven times overall: three ex parte denials, four denials after full hearings, with only one temporary ex parte order initially granted (later vacated) due to material misrepresentations to the court.¹⁴ The filings and court testimony explicitly cite her fear that WeedPress was “trying to replace her as a marijuana advocate” and damaging her reputation by demonstrating deeper policy knowledge.¹⁵
This is not speculation. The court records themselves frame accurate oversight of a regulated industry during historic transition as a personal threat.¹⁶
What the Silence Means for South Dakota Patients and Operators
Federal legitimacy is no longer theoretical. Small operators now face real compliance costs, testing requirements, market consolidation risks, and statutory conflicts with SDCL 34-20G.¹⁷ The very program Mentele helped birth is entering its most consequential phase — and its most visible architect has gone radio silent on the public record.¹⁸
Her withdrawal leaves a vacuum at the precise moment patients and taxpayers need clear-eyed analysis of pricing, enforcement gaps, Board of Pharmacy oversight, and program integrity.¹⁹
This is not “quitting” out of defeat. It is the understandable outcome for a pioneering revolutionary protector (forged in nursing injury, personal loss, and years of trench warfare) encountering structural forces larger than any single advocate or operator. Building 605 Cannabis from ballot victory through state shutdown and into market dominance was an extraordinary achievement. But the federal era demands different tools.²⁰
Mentele’s contributions to South Dakota’s medical program are part of the public record and deserve recognition. The paper trail also records the repeated TPO attempts, the public step-back from operations, and the post-rescheduling silence.²¹
The era of state-only cannabis politics is ending. Federal rescheduling is here. South Dakota’s patients and small operators deserve transparency about what comes next — not domestic abuse filings against those online bloggers using words and documenting it.²²
As always, 605 Cannabis is invited to respond on the record.
Hearing Note: The latest TPO petition scheduled for May 12, 2026 in Minnehaha County resulted in a seventh denial (3 ex parte denials, four petitions denied after full hearing). Seven times the court said no and Mentele kept trying the same arguments anyway. The public record on program integrity during this transition remains open and essential. WeedPress will continue scrutinizing relevant facts and history of the South Dakota cannabis program so the public record can stand in its entirety for the public to examine.²³
Related WeedPress Coverage:
• “I Spent 17 Years Arguing for Federal Cannabis Legitimacy. Now Small Operators Are About to Learn What That Means.” (May 9, 2026)
• “605 Cannabis LLC, Public Oversight, and Program Integrity” (May 1, 2026)
• “1,000 Views In Ten Days” (May 9, 2026)
Footnotes
¹ Federal partial rescheduling announcement, DEA/DOJ, April 2026.
² Founders Future podcast transcript with Melissa Mentele, closers.ao (2025/2026 episode).
³ Id. (role correction).
⁴ Id. (transition quote).
⁵ Id. (March 28 last full-time day).
⁶ Id. (consulting/speaking plans, MJBizCon contract).
⁷ Public platform review post-April 2026 rescheduling.
⁸ Melissa Mentele, public Facebook posts (melissa.mentele.98), April/May 2026 (family, personal matters, nature gratitude).
⁹ South Dakota Secretary of State records, 2020 Amendment A & Initiated Measure 26.
¹⁰ 605 Cannabis LLC licensing and market share statements, SD DOH records.
¹¹ Founders Future transcript, supra note 2.
¹² Dakota News Now interview, December 2025.
¹³ Minnehaha County court filings, third TPO petition (post-December exchange).
¹⁴ Comprehensive review of Minnehaha County TPO dockets, Mentele v. Karimi (seven total denials: three ex parte, four post-hearing; one initial temporary grant vacated for misrepresentations).
¹⁵ Id., petition and oral argument at hearing language on “replacement as advocate” and reputational harm.
¹⁶ SDCL 25-10 and First Amendment precedents in denials.
¹⁷ 21 U.S.C. § 823; SDCL ch. 34-20G conformity analysis.
¹⁸ Public silence confirmed across platforms.
¹⁹ SD Board of Pharmacy and DOH oversight records.
²⁰ 605 Cannabis operational history, including 2023 state shutdown.
²¹ WeedPress timeline post, May 1, 2026.
²² UPEPA/SLAPP considerations in repeated filings.
²³ Minnehaha County court calendar, May 12, 2026 hearing.
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 
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