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The governor of South Dakota isn\u2019t ruling out a veto if the legislature delivers a marijuana legalization bill to her desk. And she said she\u2019s skeptical about voter support for the reform\u2014despite the fact that they already approved a legalization ballot measure in 2020 that was later overturned by a lawsuit supported by her administration.<\/p>\n
Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was asked about the issue at a press briefing on Wednesday, shortly after the state Senate passed two different legalization bills<\/a>, as well as measure to expunge prior cannabis convictions and create a tax structure for legal sales.<\/p>\n Voters already approved adult-use legalization at the ballot in 2020, but it was invalidated by the state Supreme Court<\/a> following a single-subject legal challenge funded by the Noem administration. Activists are currently collecting signatures for a 2022 reform initiative, but they said they would be open to dropping that effort if the legislature delivers workable legalization legislation.<\/p>\n The governor didn\u2019t give a clear answer when asked about whether she\u2019d veto such a bill, except to say that \u201cit\u2019s hard to talk in hypotheticals,\u201d and she\u2019s \u201cnot in favor of recreational marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI still believe I haven\u2019t seen anybody get smarter from smoking dope,\u201d she said, adding that she\u2019s \u201csupported medical marijuana for years.\u201d (In fact, she opposed the separate 2020 medical cannabis initiative that voters also approved that year.)<\/p>\n Matthew Schweich, director of South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML), told Marijuana Moment that the \u201cmost important takeaway from Governor Noem\u2019s press conference is what she didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe did not say that she would veto an adult-use cannabis legalization bill,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is an encouraging sign that she is starting to listen to her constituents on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor also talked about people \u201cusing some loopholes to get medical cards\u201d and said that she wants the state to \u201creally understand what the consequences of that\u201d before implementing an adult-use program.<\/p>\n While Noem seems to have recognized the popularity of medical marijuana and has worked to align herself with the state\u2019s voter-approved program that\u2019s being implemented, it stands to reason that a veto for adult-use legalization is on the table. In 2019, Noem even vetoed a bill to legalize industrial hemp because she viewed it as a possible first step toward recreational legalization.<\/p>\n \u2014 During Wednesday\u2019s press briefing, the governor also gave a confusing response when asked about how activists would be willing to drop the broader legalization ballot initiative if legalization was enacted legislatively.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say, based on that statement, they must have polling that tells them the people of South Dakota don\u2019t necessarily support recreational marijuana,\u201d she said. \u201cI understand their offer, but it\u2019s not something I would take them up on.\u201d<\/p>\n But South Dakota voters already demonstrated that they support adult-use legalization when they approved the reform at the ballot in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Noem suggested that our campaign is willing to compromise because of negative polling. That is false,\u201d Schweich said. \u201cWe remain very confident that we can win for a second time at the ballot box in November if necessary. The only marijuana poll that Governor Noem should be concerned with is the poll from December showing that less than 40 percent of South Dakota voters approve of her handling of cannabis policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are willing to compromise because we want South Dakota to start realizing the benefits of legalization sooner rather than later,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to end unjust arrests, generate tax revenue, create jobs and redirect law enforcement resources to real crime. We want to restore the will of the people and do what\u2019s best for South Dakota.\u201d<\/p>\n Voter approval of adult-use legalization in 2020 is one of the most relevant factors behind why lawmakers have been advancing legalization legislation this session\u2014to lay out a more specific regulatory framework for an adult-use market compared to what would be approved at the ballot in November.<\/p>\n Noem\u2019s office also recently suggested that the activists behind that voter-approved initiative\u00a0should pay the legal fees of the lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0that invalidated the will of voters\u2014a proposal that the campaign called \u201cridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n A Marijuana Interim Study Committee, headed by legislative leaders, was established last year to explore the issue, and the panel ultimately recommended that the legislature\u00a0take up legalization this session<\/a>.<\/p>\n While a recent poll found that most South Dakota voters approve of Noem\u2019s job performance overall,\u00a0just 39 percent approve of her handling of marijuana legalization<\/a>, with 51 percent disapproving. The governor is up for reelection this year.<\/p>\n Noem has consistently faced criticism from advocates and stakeholders over her early opposition to cannabis reform.<\/p>\n She released an ad ahead of last year\u2019s election\u00a0urging residents to vote against the legalization initiative<\/a>\u00a0that ultimately passed, 54-46 percent.<\/p>\n After regulators approved rules for the medical marijuana program in September, Noem said her administration \u201cis fully on board to make certain South Dakota continues to implement the most responsible, patient-focused medical cannabis program in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Noem tried to get the legislature to\u00a0approve a bill to delay implementation<\/a>\u00a0of the medical cannabis program for an additional year, but while it cleared the House, negotiators were unable to reach an agreement with the Senate in conference, delivering a defeat to the governor.<\/p>\n In response,\u00a0her office started exploring a compromise last year<\/a>, with one proposal that came out of her administration to decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis, limit the number of plants that patients could cultivate to three and prohibit people under 21 from qualifying for medical marijuana.<\/p>\n New Jersey Governor Says Adult-Use Marijuana Sales Will Start \u2018Within Weeks\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post South Dakota Governor Won\u2019t Rule Out Vetoing Marijuana Legalization Bill That Passed The Senate<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The governor of South Dakota isn\u2019t ruling out a veto if the legislature delivers a marijuana legalization bill to her desk. And she said she\u2019s skeptical about voter support for the reform\u2014despite the fact that they already approved a legalization ballot measure in 2020 that was later overturned by aContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53167,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53166"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53168,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53166\/revisions\/53168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: South Dakota Governor Won\u2019t Rule Out Vetoing Marijuana Legalization Bill That Passed The Senate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"