The folks who tried to place medical cannabis on this year’s ballot are gearing up for a petition drive to put two measures to a vote in 2018… and they have allies.
New Approach South Dakota is co-hosting three information and planning sessions next Saturday, January 7, at the downtown Sioux Falls library:
We invite you to join us for a informational session regarding the future of cannabis in South Dakota & the new Death with Dignity initiative that is being circulated this year.
We will be discussing current ballot initiatives, signing up volunteers and giving out information on how you can get involved.
3, 45 minute sessions will be held starting at 2pm.
Refreshments will be served [“Planning and Informational Sessions,” Facebook event post, accessed 2016.12.29].
Along with New Approach South Dakota, these six groups appear as hosts of the January 7 event:
- CannaKids South Dakota
- Parents 4 Pot South Dakota
- Legalize South Dakota
- Death with Dignity South Dakota
- South Dakota Family Coalition for Compassion
- Sensible South Dakota
If you’d like to learn more about the initiatives these seven organizations want us to vote on, next Saturday’s meetings are for you.
Represent South Dakota will also be hosting a kickoff meeting on the 7th at 1pm in the Vermillion Public Library’s Kozack Room. We will be discussing IM-22 and signing up volunteers. Represent South Dakota is an official chapter of Represent Us.
Mark, is Represent.us looking into ballot measures for 2018 yet?
Seems to me, the first order of business for these groups and others is preservation of the present laws on initiated measures and public referendums. This coming legislative session does not promise to be friendly to either the public will or ballot initiatives and it’s going to take some pretty heavy political lifting to keep what we have in tact so that such things as those being discussed have even a remote chance of making it onto the ballot. And they aught to be raising a ton of money to help defend IM-22 and the almost certain effort to bury it in the political trash heap.
FYI, I was told that Represent SD is also having a public meeting at the Sioux Falls downtown library on Sunday, January 8, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.
Thanks, Darin! I hope all of these meetings get a good turnout. And I hope all of these meetings will take some time to discuss the concern John W. raises. With the SDGOP determined to dismantle the power of the people, it may well be time to focus on a “meta-initiative”, an initiative that deals with initiative and referendum and protects our power from legislative predation. Someone call Doug Kronaizl in Vermillion and get him to bring back his proposed amendment on ballot measures!