Renewed Push for Recreational Marijuana Legalization in South Dakota

Marijuana advocates in South Dakota are making a renewed effort to legalize recreational cannabis.

The Attorney General’s Office has released a draft explanation for an initiated measure that would permit individuals over 21 to cultivate, sell, and use recreational marijuana.

This proposed measure would not impact the existing medical marijuana or industrial hemp programs in the state.

Public feedback on the draft explanation is invited until August 21st, after which supporters aim to collect 17,509 valid petition signatures to place the measure on the 2024 ballot.

This follows a complex history of recreational marijuana in the state, with a 2020 legalization measure being invalidated by a court due to a violation of the single-subject rule, and a subsequent attempt failing to gain voter approval.