This video is from SDPB's news program, South Dakota Focus.
The second statewide ballot issue this year calls for the legalization of recreational marijuana - again. Initiated Measure 27 legalizes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults aged 21 and older. If voters pass the measure, South Dakota would join 19 other states that have legalized the drug.
You could be forgiven for thinking South Dakotans already decided to legalize marijuana --because they did. In 2020, 54% of voters supported a constitutional amendment that legalized both medical and recreational marijuana. A separate measure on medicinal marijuana was also passed in the same election.
But last year, the state supreme court struck down the amendment that legalized recreational marijuana. The court ruling says that the ballot measure violated the way constitutional amendments must be written. So - the question is back on the ballot this year. Supporters say it's time to uphold the original will of the voters and establish a new economic opportunity for the state.
But some South Dakotans point to those other states as proof that marijuana legalization can present dire consequences.