South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem appeared in an ad, expressing her disapproval for both medical and recreational cannabis legalization bills in her state. Within a matter of days, voters in the state will choose to follow her example or vote yes.
The video ad released by the No Way On Amendment A committee—a group that opposes the state’s recreational cannabis bill.
“It’s not good for our kids and it’s not going to improve our communities,” the governor said. “As your Governor, I’m urging all South Dakotans to vote NO on legalizing marijuana this November.” Eight out of 10 Americans support medical cannabis reform, and
Retired Sioux Falls police officer Bill Stocker disagrees with the governor. “In 2018, 4,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession in South Dakota. That’s one in 10 arrests,” Stocker said. “Each arrest costs $4,000. It doesn’t make us any safer. We’re wasting law enforcement time and resources that should be fighting serious crimes. So I’m voting ‘yes’ on A and 26.”
Last year Governor Noem vetoed an industrial hemp bill, calling it a “gateway” to recreational cannabis. She signed a revised version of the industrial hemp bill, however, earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved South Dakota’s plan for industrial hemp on October 16.
