Marijuana Legalization Initiative | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
![]()
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: South Dakota Secretary of State
|
Elections in South Dakota |
---|
![]() |
South Dakota Constitutional Amendment A, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, was a cannabis legalization initiative that appeared on the November 3, 2020 South Dakota general election ballot. Passing with 54% of the vote, the measure would have legalized recreational marijuana in South Dakota effective July 1, 2021. Additionally, Amendment A required the South Dakota State Legislature to establish a medical marijuana program and legal hemp sales by April 1, 2022.[1]
On February 8, 2021, Amendment A was struck down as unconstitutional by Judge Christina Klinger on the grounds that it violated the state's single-subject rule for ballot initiatives. The case was appealed to the state supreme court which upheld the decision on November 24, 2021.[2]
With the passage of South Dakota Initiated Measure 26 on the same ballot, South Dakota would have become the first state in US history to legalize recreational and medical cannabis simultaneously.[3] Along with Arizona, Montana, and New Jersey, South Dakota was one of four states that voted to legalize cannabis via ballot measures in the November 2020 election.