South Dakota’s secretary of state on Tuesday gave activists approval to launch a signature-gathering drive to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s 2022 ballot. Advocates have been considering a slew of reform measures as the state Supreme Court continues contemplate a review of the constitutionality of an earlier cannabis legalization initiative that voters approved in 2020 but which was later challenged with a lawsuit funded by the administration of Gov. Kristi Noem (R). Time is running short to mobilize a ballot campaign to qualify for 2022, however. And while the campaign had initially put forward four proposed legalization initiatives in the event of a negative ruling by the court, they’ve decided to pursue just one. Late last week, the attorney general’s office published the final form of the various reform measures, and now the secretary of state has signed off, clearing the way for petitioning to begin. Matthew Schweich, campaign director for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) said in a press release that advocates remain “hopeful” that Amendment A, the 2020 legalization measure, will be restored by the Supreme Court.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 10/12/2021 17:55:00