![South Dakota marijuana legalization initiative approved for November 2024 ballot – Mitchell Republic South Dakota marijuana legalization initiative approved for November 2024 ballot – Mitchell Republic](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/3c1c0b3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/960x540+0+0/resize/1895x1066!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffcc-cue-exports-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Ffccnn%2Fbinary%2Fcopy%2Ffc%2F88%2F5cd27b47558cd17c3a997fa36a03%2F3760273-marijuana-1114713960720-binary-800076.jpg&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
PIERRE – The South Dakota Secretary of State announced Monday that the proposed measure initiated to legalize cannabis, sponsored by South Dakota Leaders for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML), has officially qualified for the March 5 ballot. November 2024.
“We worked very hard on this signature campaign and are proud to have once again qualified for the vote,” said Matthew Schweich, executive director of SDBML.
The petition required 17,508 valid signatures from registered South Dakota voters to qualify. The Secretary of State’s final count, based on random sampling, was 22,558 valid signatures.
“Today’s news would not be possible without the help of our supporters across the state,” said Quincy Hanzen, deputy director of SDBML. “Thank you to everyone who participated in this signature drive, from our incredible team of volunteers and circulators to the thousands of South Dakotans who signed the petition.”
Qualifying for the 2024 election is the latest chapter in South Dakota’s years-long debate over cannabis policy. In 2020, South Dakota became the first state in the country to legalize medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis in the same vote. After the election, Governor Kristi Noem orchestrated a lawsuit that ultimately overturned the legalization law approved by 54% of voters. At the same time, she tried, unsuccessfully, to pass legislation in Pierre to severely delay implementation of the state’s medical cannabis law, approved by 70% of voters.
“We firmly believe that South Dakotans deserve to make their own decisions about how to live their lives, including the freedom to consume cannabis responsibly,” said Zebadiah Johnson, SDBML political director.
Having qualified for the elections, SDBML will now turn its attention to the general elections on November 5.
To read the full text of the initiative, visit: https://sdbml.org/text
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