Attorney General Ballot Explanations Released for Two Initiated Measures on Legalizing Marijuana

Pat Powers

Attorney General Ballot Explanations Released for Two Initiated Measures on Legalizing Marijuana

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Attorney General Explanations for two proposed initiated measures have been filed with the Secretary of State. These statements will appear on petitions that will be circulated by the sponsor of the measures. For each petition, if the sponsor obtains a sufficient number of signatures (13,871) by November 2017, as certified by the Secretary of State, the measure will be placed on the ballot for the November 2018 general election.

The measures are titled:

  1. “An initiated measure to legalize marijuana for medical ”
  2. “An initiated measure to legalize certain amounts of marijuana, drugs made from marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, and to regulate and tax marijuana establishments.”

Under South Dakota law, the Attorney General is responsible for preparing explanations for proposed initiated measures, referred laws, and South Dakota Constitutional Amendments. Specifically, the explanation includes a title, an objective, clear and simple summary of the purpose and effect of the proposed measure and a description of the legal consequences. The Attorney General Explanation is not a statement either for or against the proposed measure.

To view the Attorney General Explanations for the measures, as well as the final form of the measures submitted to this office, please click on the links.

http://atg.sd.gov/docs/IMLegalizeMJformedical.pdf
http://atg.sd.gov/docs/IMlegalizeMJgen.pdf

48 thoughts on “Attorney General Ballot Explanations Released for Two Initiated Measures on Legalizing Marijuana”

  3. Don’t see how more drugs is a recipe for a better South Dakota. These need to fail at the ballot box and reaffirm what’s good about our state

    1. Lee. How can you say that? You were a rowdy kid once. Was pot really any worse than alcohol?

      1. Many of my classmates would get high during lunch hour, and the halls of Mobridge HS smelled of marijuana.These so call pot heads are now engineers, teachers, successful business people etc. Pot doesn’t ruin people, the laws do. Need to go back like it use to be in the 70’s and let parents and coaches handle it. Police have better things to do. Education is the only way this mindset is going to change. Listening to big pharma,the liquor industry and other special interests that are threatened by marijuana is not the answer.

        1. Weed has way higher THC levels than in the 70s. When the people looking to make a fortune, those chemically dependent and the drug culture keeps pushing that it is harmless, not even a drug, it is sacred medicine, just a plant and is good for you we have a serious problem.

          Talked to a business owner in Mitchell last year and given the effect it has had on her son she is totally against legalization but like many parents will not speak up being afraid of being ridiculed and attacked. Her son is a very bright and very sociable but she can always tell when he is smoking weed since he is very anti-social, irritable, depressed and his grades plummet. Many more parents and relatives that will not speak up but know the negative effects of watching their loved ones becoming consumed with getting high. It is insidious by nature and they way it is being promoted and I’m not talking the “Reefer Madness” garbage which simply is not true.

          1. Could he be taking perscription drugs? I would love to talk to her or better yet, her son.

    1. The last poll I saw wasn’t even close. February nationwide survey by Quinnipiac:

      Asked if marijuana “should be made legal in the U.S.”, 59 percent said “yes” while 36 percent said “no.”

      Don’t blame me. I’m just your sober messenger.

    2. I am voting for it and I don’t even use it. Oh yes I do partake in Hemp.

      1. If you vote for it would you then cover the costs for treatment of at least one person’s of chemical dependency from Marijuana then? It could take some time in regards to individual therapy in learning how to function and cope in life without getting high.

          1. You vote for it you should personally pay for it then. We have enough problems and certainly do not need another harmful intoxicant legalized.

            1. So are you willing to accept personal financial responsibility for voting to legalize recreational pot?

              1. I want it legalized so we don’t have the financial burden of throwing people in prison and jail.

      2. It is not uncommon in Colorado now with pregnant mothers smoking pot with their babies being born with high THC levels. Again the mothers think it is harmless and for some it is good for them with all the pot culture is putting out. Physicians are seriously worried about brain development and long-term cognitive issues as these kids get older.

        I mentored a high school student that had fetal alcohol syndrome. This student being a great kid have very limited options in life and will need some level of care by a guardian and at taxpayer expense. If it is confirmed that we have developmentally challenged kids as a result of the mother consuming Marijuana during pregnancy are you will to personally cover the expenses for at least one of these kids into adulthood?

    3. I am not high and I will definitely vote for it. If it can be a deterrent from alcohol and hard drugs, I am all for it, but you must be legal age.

  5. What is it with this drug culture to have this fixation in finding new ways to get high? Can’t they find a better use of their time?

    1. New ways?? It’s a plant! It’s been around longer than humans have! And it still has yet to kill anyone.

      Now alcohol, that stuff will kill. And fuel all kinds of other crimes. That’s the one we should prohibit.

  6. The plant his killed by impairing judgment via crashing into other drivers killing families, robbing C-Stores and shooting the clerk, shootings.

    Our friends at Core Civic can help those tempted by the Devils Lettuce by building a new facility to treat them.

      1. I have a neighbor who takes three minutes to back out of his garage. Not sure how long it takes him when the door is open. But I don’t think its pot. He is somewhere around 90.

        At any rate, we don’t want to ban everything. Choose Liberty!

  7. My good friends Bob and Lar will be happy with this business, but I am against the demon weed. It is bad, very bad.

    1. buzz word again Grudz. Ask people with cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, etc how very bad it is.

  8. Just so you guys know, marijuana is everywhere in South Dakota already, just like it always has been. Legalizing it just brings it above board in an open, regulated (and taxed) market.

    So the question is: do you want it regulated, which creates an additional source of tax revenue? Or not? Either way, the amount of marijuana in SD remains the same.

    1. We need more prison space and our friends at CoreCivic can help by building a new private treatment facility to help all these illegal marijuana smokers with their addiction. Thankfully President Trump and Attorney General Session see the need also to help these people at the same time save taxpayers money.

    2. And it will never go away, just like alcohol. Except, marijuana is much safer.

  9. We need to tax the cigarette smokers a bit more and hire a few more weed cops to go out and throw these people in the klink.

  10. What does legalizing pot and suicide have in common? Both ballot initiatives are brought to SD by the same depraved individual.

    2. Depraved is the best you could come up with? How about compassionate, humane & caring? If you have no issue with ending an animals life to prevent them from suffering then you need to shut the front door and back away from this conversation. We allow our animals to die with dignity but force our loved ones to suffer to make ourselves feel like it was a good death? Our initiative is allowing people to participate in their dying process long before they are in a hospital bed, wearing a gown someone else died in yesterday while the nurses keep upping the morphine drip til their breathing stops. I watched my FIL die this way in Oct and let me tell you something it was disgusting, immoral, uncompassionate and felt like a factory of death. Our family will NEVER be the same NEVER! If I am ever dying of cancer or another terminal disease I want the option to decide when. I want it to be in my bed, in my home, listening to my loved ones in another room, enjoying the time I have left & yes I want cannabis oil to be an option instead of morphine during that time so I can say my goodbyes and participate in my end….that choice is between my Dr, myself and God. You call me depraved and hide behind our district number…who is the coward here? I at least stand tall and proud for what I believe in.

    1. Well, since we “all” are the problem, its kinda analogous to the statement “If I think everyone I’m around is crazy, I must be the crazy one.”

  14. Representative Clark I appreciate your patience in dealing with the pot and illegal drug enthusiasts over at the stoner blog. They fool themselves into believing that if their circle of friends are all getting stoned everyone must be. They are sadly mistaken. Not a productive use of their time.

  15. Gov. Hickenlooper was sadly mistaken……now he is happy and admits he was wrong.

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