South Dakotans Explain Their Support for Marijuana Measure – Watch and Share!
This Election Day, South Dakotans will have the opportunity to vote on two marijuana ballot initiatives, Amendment A and Measure 26. Together, these measures will reform South Dakota’s broken marijuana laws and help veterans and patients who have serious health conditions, improve public health and safety, create jobs, and generate new revenue for the state.
People have different reasons for supporting these initiatives, so we’re highlighting stories from folks across South Dakota explaining why they’re voting YES this November.
Meet Betty Smith, whose late husband, Larry Smith, struggled terribly with Parkinson's disease but found substantial relief with medical marijuana prescribed legally by a doctor in California. However, as a South Dakotan, Larry couldn't legally obtain it in his home state, giving him the very unfair choice of continuing to suffer or breaking the law. The latter was something that Larry, a retired policeman, was against doing. If Amendment A and Measure 26 pass, no South Dakotan will ever again have to make that choice.
Meet Kelli Shaw, a pharmacist from Rapid City, who has seen firsthand the benefits of medical marijuana for pain, PTSD, and hospice patients. She talks particularly about how medical marijuana helps with quality of life for end-of-life patients.
Meet Bill Stocker, a retired Sioux Falls police officer, Marine, and lifelong Republican, who supports marijuana legalization in South Dakota. Bill uses the example of a sandwich bag to explain how with a little marijuana in it, a simple household item becomes a crime. He goes on to detail the adjudication process for that crime and notes the negative interaction between law enforcement and the offender. Bill made two other videos explaining his support from a law enforcement perspective, available here and here.
Meet Randy Seiler, a former South Dakota U.S. attorney, who has been a prosecutor at the federal, state, and tribal levels and supports marijuana legalization in the state. Based on his experience, Randy argues that we shouldn’t be putting people in jail in South Dakota for something that is legal in 11 other states. He also explains that the state could see around $30 million in tax revenue from marijuana sales and thinks law enforcement should focus on more important priorities than criminalizing people for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Please watch and share these videos widely with people you know in South Dakota!