South Dakotans To Get Another Chance To Vote On Marijuana, Will Third Time Be The Charm?

Last month, South Dakota failed to pass a Senate bill that would have legalized the recreational use of cannabis. 

If the bill had been approved, adults over 21 would have been allowed to buy and possess up to one ounce of cannabis from licensed retailers.

While that was the second of two efforts from cannabis activists in the Mount Rushmore State to enact policy reform. Now, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is now back on track and intent on pursuing the same cause for the third time.

In late December, marijuana advocates submitted a draft of their initiative to the Legislative Research Council (LRC) as they seek to put the measure on the ballot yet again, reported Dakota News Now.

Background

South Dakota's Secretary of State added Initiated Measure 27 to the list of ballot questions for the November 2022 election in May, providing the voters with another chance to weigh in on the legal status of recreational marijuana.

This time South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) took a more narrowly tailored approach to legalization after a 2020 legalization measure that got the green light from voters two years ago but was struck down by the state Supreme Court.

However, a statewide poll conducted this summer revealed that South Dakotans' general sentiment toward legalizing recreational marijuana has shifted over the past two years, signaling that a referendum on the issue this fall could fail. Moreover, having Governor Kristi Noem (R), who previously opposed the measure, on the same side, kept the final outcome the same.

Matthew Schweich, campaign director for SDBML said back then that these results don't "make sense" as they "conflict strongly with previous data that we've seen."

Now that the dust has settled, he says, "the only reason it lost is because of really low turnout... we are eager to restore the will of the people."

Strong (And Loud) Opposition

Either way, those opposing the legalization push have been loud and tireless in pushing for their cause all these months.

Earlier this year, the grassroots organization Protecting South Dakota Kids presented a panoply of negative results they believed legalization would usher in, including an increase in teen consumption and negative effects on brain functioning caused by long-term use, to name a few.

Now, with pro-marijuana activists signaling their intentions to bring the same legalization ballot initiative back in 2024, Rep. Fred Deutsch (R-Florence), who also serves as the organization's treasurer, said they are planning to set up a non-profit and put a lobbyist in Pierre for the following year's legislative session.

"This last year in Pierre, the pro-marijuana lobbyists outgunned us five to one, six to one... I didn't count them, but they were swarming the Capitol," Deutsch said. "The marijuana industry puts a lot of money into hiring these guys, and we hope to push back just a little bit."

The GOP lawmaker also revealed his intentions to introduce a measure that would stop coming up with similar consecutive ballot initiatives.

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