South Dakota House committee rejects recreational pot bill
2 years, 9 months ago

South Dakota House committee rejects recreational pot bill

Associated Press  

— South Dakota House Republicans on Monday dismissed a proposal to legalize recreational pot for adults, in a major blow to a bill that aimed to honor the will of voters. South Dakota voters passed a constitutional amendment in November 2020 to legalize recreational pot, medical marijuana and hemp. Senate Bill 3, which emerged from a legislative committee that studied the issue last year, would legalize recreational possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by people ages 21 and older. Republican Rep. Tim Goodwin led the move to reject the bill, saying he wouldn’t “vote against law enforcement and against federal law.” Meanwhile, the House State Affairs committee dealt a new blow to advocates for medical marijuana, which has been legal in the state since last year.

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History of this topic

Trio of ballot failures leads marijuana backers to refocus their efforts for recreational weed
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Trio of ballot failures leads marijuana backers to refocus their efforts for recreational weed

Associated Press  

The movement to legalize recreational marijuana has run into a wall of resistance, failing in all three states where it was on the ballot this year and leading proponents to weigh a tactical shift focused more on state legislatures and the federal government. It’s “going to be a potentially tougher hill to climb going forward to enact legalization in the …

South Dakota to Decide on Abortion Rights and Recreational Marijuana
1 month, 2 weeks ago

South Dakota to Decide on Abortion Rights and Recreational Marijuana

Associated Press  

South Dakota will hold a vote on Tuesday to decide whether to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana. The abortion rights measure would amend the state constitution to bar restrictions on terminating a pregnancy during its first 12 weeks. The recreational marijuana measure would legalize recreational use for those 21 and older, with up to 2 ounces in a …

Voters could make recreational cannabis legal in more than half of U.S. states
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Voters could make recreational cannabis legal in more than half of U.S. states

NPR  

Voters could make recreational cannabis legal in more than half of U.S. states toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Three more states are voting today on whether to legalize the recreational use of cannabis — and if more than one of the measures passes, it would mean a majority of U.S. states have recreational marijuana laws on the books. …

Florida rejects marijuana legalization measure, other states still pending
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Florida rejects marijuana legalization measure, other states still pending

Salon  

On Nov. 5, voters in four red states will cast their ballots for legalizing cannabis and marijuana, the extracts from the plant. “It’s certainly not crazy to think you might see some other very conservative Southern states follow along, if Florida adopts it.” North Dakota: Measure 5 In North Dakota, advocates are hoping the third time's a charm in legalizing …

Medical Marijuana Legalization In Nebraska May Appear On November Ballot
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Medical Marijuana Legalization In Nebraska May Appear On November Ballot

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING OMAHA, Neb. — A group seeking to legalize marijuana for medical use in Nebraska has gathered enough signatures to get the issue before voters in November, the state’s top election official said Friday. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced earlier this year that it had gathered about 114,000 signatures — well more than the approximately 86,000 needed — …

Measures to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska can appear on November ballot, official says
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Measures to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska can appear on November ballot, official says

Associated Press  

— A group seeking to legalize marijuana for medical use in Nebraska has gathered enough signatures to get the issue before voters in November, the state’s top election official said Friday. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced earlier this year that it had gathered about 114,000 signatures — well more than the approximately 86,000 needed — for each of two petitions: …

North Dakota voters to weigh in again on marijuana legalization
4 months, 1 week ago

North Dakota voters to weigh in again on marijuana legalization

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — A ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota has qualified for the November election, the state’s top election official said Monday. North Dakota voters approved medical marijuana in 2016 but rejected recreational initiatives in 2018 and 2022. “The people of North Dakota soundly rejected the idea of recreational marijuana in 2018 and 2022, but here …

Group files petitions to put recreational marijuana on North Dakota’s November ballot
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Group files petitions to put recreational marijuana on North Dakota’s November ballot

Live Mint  

BISMARCK, N.D. — Organizers of a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota submitted petition signatures on Monday, likely setting up another statewide vote on the issue that voters and state lawmakers have previously defeated. The 20-page statutory measure would legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and older to use at their homes and, if permitted, on others’ …

Group files petitions to put recreational marijuana on North Dakota’s November ballot
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Group files petitions to put recreational marijuana on North Dakota’s November ballot

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — Organizers of a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota submitted petition signatures on Monday, likely setting up another statewide vote on the issue that voters and state lawmakers have previously defeated. The 20-page statutory measure would legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and older to use at their homes and, if permitted, on others’ …

3rd try at approving recreational marijuana in South Dakota makes the ballot
6 months, 3 weeks ago

3rd try at approving recreational marijuana in South Dakota makes the ballot

Associated Press  

South Dakota voters will decide again whether to legalize recreational marijuana, an issue with a frustrating history for backers of the ballot initiative in the conservative state. Opponent Jim Kinyon, chairperson of Protecting South Dakota Kids, said the state’s voters already had a say on the issue and rejected recreational marijuana back in 2022. “How many times does the state …

Recreational marijuana backers try to overcome rocky history in South Dakota
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Recreational marijuana backers try to overcome rocky history in South Dakota

Associated Press  

Advocates of legalizing recreational marijuana in South Dakota, a mission with a rocky history, submitted thousands of signatures to election officials on Tuesday in the hopes of once again getting the issue on the conservative state’s November ballot. Twenty-four states have legalized recreational marijuana, including as recently as November 2023 in Ohio, but “no state has as interesting or rocky …

As the US moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, could more states legalize it?
7 months, 3 weeks ago

As the US moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, could more states legalize it?

Associated Press  

As the U.S. government moves toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, there may be little immediate impact in the dozen states that have not already legalized cannabis for widespread medical or recreational use by adults. Following two previous failed attempts, a Nebraska group is gathering signatures to get two measures onto this year’s ballot: one to legalize medical …

Recreational marijuana backers can gather signatures for North Dakota ballot initiative
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Recreational marijuana backers can gather signatures for North Dakota ballot initiative

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — A North Dakota ballot initiative group can gather signatures to put a proposal legalizing recreational marijuana to a statewide vote in the fall, the state’s top election official said Thursday, in the latest legalization effort in the conservative state. “We spend too many resources, we spend too much money, we criminalize behavior that’s more benign than alcohol …

Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Deschedule Marijuana Entirely
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Deschedule Marijuana Entirely

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A group of 12 Senate Democrats on Monday urged the Biden administration to remove marijuana from the list of harmful drugs outlawed by the federal government, arguing that simply reclassifying it as less dangerous would be insufficient. In the letter, addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram, the senators said a …

Wisconsin Republicans appear to be at an impasse over medical marijuana legalization plan
11 months, 1 week ago

Wisconsin Republicans appear to be at an impasse over medical marijuana legalization plan

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans appear to be at an impasse over a proposal to legalize medical marijuana. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu last week said the bill’s proposed creation of state-run dispensaries was a “nonstarter.” Vos said at a news conference that “months and months of negotiations” resulted in a “very detailed bill” he proposed that has the minimum …

US' Ohio votes to legalise marijuana for adult recreational use
1 year, 1 month ago

US' Ohio votes to legalise marijuana for adult recreational use

Hindustan Times  

Ohio voters approved a proposal legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday, defying Republican legislative leaders who had failed to pass the proposed law. Passage of Issue 2 makes Ohio the 24th state to allow adult cannabis use for non-medical purposes. Opponents also raised concerns about the tax structure, which earmarks none of the earnings for Ohio counties that administer social services …

Schumer’s weed plan hits bipartisan resistance
1 year, 5 months ago

Schumer’s weed plan hits bipartisan resistance

Politico  

Democrats, meanwhile, want Republicans to bring on more cosponsors to prove they can deliver enough supporters to pass the 60-vote threshold. “Senator Daines and Chairman Brown had an agreement when he reintroduced the bill, and now Democrats are demanding changes” a spokesperson for Sen. Steve Daines — the Republican spearheading negotiations on the bill with Schumer, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Brown …

Minnesota lights up! Lawmakers make the land of 10,000 lakes 23rd state to legalize ‘recreational marijuana’
1 year, 7 months ago

Minnesota lights up! Lawmakers make the land of 10,000 lakes 23rd state to legalize ‘recreational marijuana’

Hindustan Times  

In a groundbreaking move, Minnesota has joined the ranks of states embracing the legalization of recreational marijuana. Senators in the state passed a bill over the weekend, making Minnesota the 23rd state to allow adults over the age of 21 to partake in the use of cannabis for recreational purposes. House and Senate cannabis bill authors Rep. Zack Stephenson and …

Negotiators finalize details of bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota
1 year, 7 months ago

Negotiators finalize details of bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — House and Senate negotiators wrapped up work Tuesday on the details of a bill to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in Minnesota, setting the stage for final votes in the closing days of the legislative session. It will still take staffers a day or two to prepare the final bill language, the Democratic chairs of the …

New Hampshire Senate rejects marijuana legalization bill, leaving state an outlier in New England
1 year, 7 months ago

New Hampshire Senate rejects marijuana legalization bill, leaving state an outlier in New England

Associated Press  

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Senate rejected a marijuana legalization bill Thursday, leaving it the only state in New England that makes smoking pot recreationally a crime. Republican Senate President Jeb Bradley said the time isn’t right to legalize marijuana, as the state combats a drug addiction and overdose crisis. House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm said the push to …

Marijuana legalization advancing in Minnesota Legislature
1 year, 7 months ago

Marijuana legalization advancing in Minnesota Legislature

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Recreational marijuana could soon be legalized and regulated in Minnesota under bills that are entering the final rounds of debate at the Legislature. “Today is a big day because we are now at the five-yard line” for legalizing cannabis, the lead author, Democratic Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, said at a news conference ahead of …

Delaware lawmakers give final approval to marijuana bills
1 year, 8 months ago

Delaware lawmakers give final approval to marijuana bills

Associated Press  

— The Delaware Senate gave final approval Tuesday to bills legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults in the state and authorizing the establishment of a state-licensed and regulated cannabis industry, setting up a potential battle with Democratic Gov. Buckson, however, led the opposition to the industry-creation bill that calls for state officials to issue up to 30 initial retail marijuana …

Minnesota bill to legalize marijuana gets major rewrite
1 year, 9 months ago

Minnesota bill to legalize marijuana gets major rewrite

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in Minnesota underwent a major rewrite Tuesday with the addition of new language to regulate and protect the state’s burgeoning industry in low-potency edibles and drinkables. “It has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color.” The 142-page amendment adopted Tuesday deals extensively with regulatory and …

Delaware House approves legalizing recreational marijuana
1 year, 9 months ago

Delaware House approves legalizing recreational marijuana

Associated Press  

— The Delaware House has once again approved a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana use by adults in the state. John Carney vetoed a legalization bill last year, and House members failed to muster the three-fifths majority needed to override the veto. Opponents argue that legalization will lead to increased marijuana use among teens and young adults and expressed …

Voters approve recreational marijuana in Maryland, Missouri
2 years, 1 month ago

Voters approve recreational marijuana in Maryland, Missouri

Associated Press  

— Voters approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri but rejected it in three other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country. “State-level legalization victories are what’s necessary to move the needle forward at the federal level.” The state voting follows moves by President Joe Biden toward decriminalizing marijuana. “Now they know that …

Voters approve recreational marijuana in Maryland, Missouri
2 years, 1 month ago

Voters approve recreational marijuana in Maryland, Missouri

Associated Press  

— Voters approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri but rejected it in two other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country. “State-level legalization victories are what’s necessary to move the needle forward at the federal level.” The state voting follows moves by President Joe Biden toward decriminalizing marijuana. “It’s pretty clear North …

Marijuana legalization on the ballot in these states: Here’s what voters decided
2 years, 1 month ago

Marijuana legalization on the ballot in these states: Here’s what voters decided

CNN  

Washington CNN — Ballot measures to legalize recreational marijuana use will fail in three states and pass in two, CNN projects, as momentum has grown nationwide to push for lifting penalties once associated with cannabis. Here’s what voters decided in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota on Tuesday: Arkansas Arkansas voters on Tuesday will reject a constitutional amendment …

EXPLAINED: Which US States Put Marijuana On The Ballot in 2022?
2 years, 2 months ago

EXPLAINED: Which US States Put Marijuana On The Ballot in 2022?

News 18  

Recreational marijuana could be legal in half the country if the handful of states with cannabis measures on ballots this November pass them. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have measures on their ballots this fall for voters to consider legalizing recreational marijuana. The Arkansas Supreme Court cleared the way in September for voters to consider whether people …

EXPLAINER: Which states put marijuana on the ballot in 2022?
2 years, 2 months ago

EXPLAINER: Which states put marijuana on the ballot in 2022?

Associated Press  

Recreational marijuana could be legal in half the country if the handful of states with cannabis measures on ballots this November pass them. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have measures on their ballots this fall for voters to consider legalizing recreational marijuana. — The Arkansas Supreme Court cleared the way in September for voters to consider whether …

Will South Dakota OK pot again after 1st measure reversed?
2 years, 2 months ago

Will South Dakota OK pot again after 1st measure reversed?

Associated Press  

— When it comes to marijuana, South Dakota has been a leader among its Great Plains neighbors: one of the first to legalize recreational use, the first to approve both medical and recreational forms on the same ballot and the only one to have its recreational measure reversed. In South Dakota, Schweich’s campaign is using the messages that won over …

What’s different about 2022 ND marijuana vote? Money
2 years, 4 months ago

What’s different about 2022 ND marijuana vote? Money

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — The main group working to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota has more than a half-million dollars to press its case, far more than the mostly shoe-leather effort they relied on four years ago. The North Dakota Petroleum Council will not contribute to fight the pot legalization effort that will appear on the November general election ballot, …

Missouri voters set to weigh in on recreational marijuana
2 years, 4 months ago

Missouri voters set to weigh in on recreational marijuana

Associated Press  

— A campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri gathered enough signatures to make it on the November ballot, Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced Tuesday. Efforts to allow recreational marijuana use have failed to pass Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature for years, prompting advocates to go to voters for approval instead. Local NAACP chapters, the American Civil Liberties Union of …

Recreational pot validated for ballot in South Dakota
2 years, 6 months ago

Recreational pot validated for ballot in South Dakota

Associated Press  

— South Dakota voters are set to vote again on whether they want recreational marijuana legalized for adults after the secretary of state on Wednesday validated the initiated measure for the November ballot. Secretary of State Steve Barnett announced that a random sample of petition signatures showed that South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, the group campaigning to legalize pot, …

Marijuana legalization bill clears Delaware House
2 years, 7 months ago

Marijuana legalization bill clears Delaware House

Associated Press  

— The Delaware House voted Thursday to approve a bill legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use. The bill approved Thursday was introduced in late March as stand-alone legislation after a failed effort to pass broader legislation creating a state-regulated and taxed marijuana industry. “I’m grateful to the House for passing this bill …

SD pot legalization campaign submits signatures for ballot
2 years, 7 months ago

SD pot legalization campaign submits signatures for ballot

Associated Press  

— Advocates for legalizing recreational marijuana in South Dakota on Tuesday submitted petition signatures to the secretary of state, saying they were confident they had collected enough to place the initiative on the November ballot. South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, the organization that launched the campaign, has scrambled in recent days to gather the nearly 17,000 signatures of registered …

North Dakota OKs marijuana legalization petition format
2 years, 8 months ago

North Dakota OKs marijuana legalization petition format

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger has approved the formatting of a petition for a proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The sponsoring committee behind the petition must obtain 15,582 valid signatures by July 11 for the measure to be placed on November’s ballot. If supporters miss that deadline but obtain the …

Noem signs medical pot bills, placing a limit on homegrown
2 years, 9 months ago

Noem signs medical pot bills, placing a limit on homegrown

Associated Press  

— South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Friday signed five bills to make changes to the state’s medical marijuana laws, including putting a cap on the number of cannabis plants that medical marijuana patients can grow in their homes. South Dakota voters in 2020 enacted the law to legalize medical marijuana in the state, and Noem this year pushed for …

South Dakota lawmakers pass limit on homegrown medical pot
2 years, 9 months ago

South Dakota lawmakers pass limit on homegrown medical pot

Associated Press  

— South Dakota lawmakers on Wednesday passed a proposal place a four-cap limit on the number cannabis plants that medical marijuana patients can grow in their homes. The Republican-controlled House and Senate have debated for weeks what limits to place on the number of cannabis plants that may be grown in homes after a voter-passed law placed no limit on …

House revives bill striking defense for medical pot
2 years, 10 months ago

House revives bill striking defense for medical pot

Associated Press  

— South Dakota House Republican lawmakers on Thursday revived a bill to rid the state’s medical marijuana law of a provision that allows patients with debilitating medical conditions to avoid criminal charges for pot possession if they have not obtained a marijuana identification card. The bill is one among dozens of changes lawmakers are considering to the state’s medical marijuana …

South Dakota Senate passes bill to legalize recreational pot
2 years, 10 months ago

South Dakota Senate passes bill to legalize recreational pot

Associated Press  

— The South Dakota Senate on Wednesday passed a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, as Republicans reasoned they should jump ahead of a campaign to legalize it on the November ballot. They have been prodded by voters, who approved by 54% a 2020 constitutional amendment, known as Amendment A, to legalize recreational pot, medical marijuana and hemp. “This bill is …

South Dakota pot legalization bill cleared for Senate vote
2 years, 10 months ago

South Dakota pot legalization bill cleared for Senate vote

Associated Press  

— A bipartisan proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in South Dakota survived its first test in the Legislature on Thursday as a Senate committee recommended the proposal for a vote in the full chamber next week. “At this stage of the game, it’s just not going to happen,” Republican Sen. Gary Cammack said at a news conference earlier Thursday, arguing …

SC Senate approves medical marijuana bill, House up next
2 years, 10 months ago

SC Senate approves medical marijuana bill, House up next

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina senators Wednesday approved the use of medical marijuana in the state on a 28-15 vote that finished a Republican senator’s seven-year quest to pass the proposal, but the legislation still has some hurdles to pass to become law. Davis said his proposal would be one of the most conservative among the 37 states that have …

Agenda in Pierre: Marijuana, federal windfall, social issues
2 years, 11 months ago

Agenda in Pierre: Marijuana, federal windfall, social issues

Associated Press  

— South Dakota’s rapid-fire legislative session kicks off Tuesday with lawmakers prepared to debate legalizing marijuana, how to spend nearly $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief and what to do with a spate of bills touching on some of the nation’s most incendiary social issues. Schoenbeck, who represents the party’s old guard, describes some House members as “crazies” for their …

South Dakota Supreme Court rules against pot legalization
3 years, 1 month ago

South Dakota Supreme Court rules against pot legalization

Associated Press  

— The South Dakota Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s ruling that nullified a voter-passed amendment to the state constitution that would have legalized recreational marijuana use. The high court sided with those arguments in a 4-1 decision, ruling that the measure — Amendment A — would have violated the state’s requirement that constitutional amendments deal with just …

South Dakota lawmakers craft proposal for recreational pot
3 years, 2 months ago

South Dakota lawmakers craft proposal for recreational pot

Associated Press  

— South Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults while repealing much of the state’s new medical marijuana law. The Adult-Use Marijuana Study Subcommittee, which has been studying the issue since June, voted to recommend a bill that would allow people over 21 to purchase up to 1 ounce of cannabis for recreational …

Pot legalization advocates launch ballot initiative campaign
3 years, 2 months ago

Pot legalization advocates launch ballot initiative campaign

Associated Press  

— Advocates for legalizing recreational marijuana in South Dakota announced Tuesday they are trying for a second time to legalize cannabis possession and cultivation for adults through a ballot initiative. South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws said it would launch a signature-gathering campaign in the coming days after the Secretary of State approved a ballot initiative proposal for circulation Tuesday. …

South Dakota lawmakers reject a handful of medical pot rules
3 years, 3 months ago

South Dakota lawmakers reject a handful of medical pot rules

Associated Press  

— South Dakota lawmakers on Monday rejected a handful of rules proposals governing medical marijuana from Gov. The rules they rejected included proposals that would have limited the amount of high-potency marijuana that patients could possess, required medical practitioners to write a recommendation for patients who wanted to grow more than three cannabis plants, and defined a list of conditions …

South Dakota sees clunky rollout of medical pot rules
3 years, 5 months ago

South Dakota sees clunky rollout of medical pot rules

Associated Press  

— South Dakota government officials scrambled on Friday to reach a consensus on rules around medical pot, showing that the rollout of the voter-passed law has been anything but smooth. Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s office this week appeared to counter guidance from the Highway Patrol on medical marijuana ID cards issued by Native American tribes. Meanwhile, the Department of Education …

House passes marijuana legalization bill, sends it to Senate
3 years, 6 months ago

House passes marijuana legalization bill, sends it to Senate

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Proponents of legalizing the adult use of marijuana in Connecticut dodged a threatened veto on Wednesday, advancing a revamped bill that Gov. “We take the next step, as this chamber, in recognizing the war on drugs has failed us and the criminalization of cannabis was the wrong course of action for our state and for our nation.” …

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