SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Election day is just one week away.
South Dakotans are voting on seven statewide ballot measures.
One of them is Initiated Measure 29.
It would legalize recreational marijuana use for adults.
According to the Attorney General’s explanation, IM 29 would allow adults to possess, grow, ingest, and distribute marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia, according the attorney general’s explanation.
Rhonda Milstead opposes the measure.
“Marijuana, the plant, is a plant that has a psychoactive ingredient. It’s going to affect you. It’s going to affect your head. Why would you want to introduce anything like that to adults or children? And that’s the reality of that. When you make something like that legal, it takes away the idea that it’s risky,” Milstead said.
Meanwhile, Matthew Schweich supports the measure, which would only legalize recreational use for people 21 and older.
“I want to protect kids from drug dealers. Right now, marijuana already exists in South Dakota. Measure 29 does not invent marijuana in South Dakota. It’s already here, it’s being sold by dealers, who don’t check IDs, who don’t ensure the safety of the product, who do nothing on product labeling or packaging or dosage. That’s how marijuana is being sold in South Dakota. I want to replace those dealers with a regulated system,” Schweich said.
According to the Attorney General’s explanation, it would remain illegal for someone to drive under the influence of marijuana.
“Measure 29 is good public policy, it supports the principals of personal freedom and individual responsibility,” Schweich said.
“They’ll talk about freedom, okay let’s just make everything free. You drive as fast as you want. You take as many drugs as you want. Is that how we want life to be? Freedom is about living together, and living together in a good way,” Milstead said.
While recreational marijuana is legal in about half of U.S. states, it remains illegal under federal law.
While the measure legalizes the distribution of marijuana, it doesn’t legalize the sale of it, which would have to be done separately.
