Our hard work paid off. Earlier this week, the South Dakota House of Representatives rejected House Bill 1100, which means Measure 26 will take effect on July 1 exactly as voters approved it last November.

To each supporter who sent an email, called their legislators, or attended a cracker barrel — THANK YOU! This was a truly remarkable victory. We took on the political establishment of South Dakota, and the strength of our numbers prevailed. 

We now must turn our full attention to defending Amendment A. On Wednesday, our legal team filed their first round of arguments with the South Dakota Supreme Court in the appeal to overturn Judge Klinger's previous ruling. We remain confident that the law — and the integrity of South Dakota's ballot initiative process — will be upheld.

We don't like to keep asking, but this legal fight was never part of the campaign budget, and we need your help to cover the costs associated with the lawsuit. If you are able, please contribute any amount you can to the MPP Foundation South Dakota Legal Defense Fund. All donations are tax deductible. Please use this link to donate:

There is more work ahead of us, but we won a major battle this week. We are grateful to all of you for your commitment and tireless advocacy. Working together, we will continue to defend sensible marijuana policies and the will of the voters. 

Thank you.

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Our calls are working, but we need to keep the pressure on. We’ve managed to delay a vote on HB 1100 twice, but they're going to try again tomorrow.

Again, we’re urging South Dakota legislators to support our common sense compromise on the medical marijuana law, House Bill 1100G. You can read more about the compromise here. 

We need supporters to call the South Dakota State Capitol at 605-773-3851 right now to leave a message for your state representatives in support of the compromise legislation.

When you call, leave your name, district, and your message ("support the compromise and establish legal protections for patients" or something similar). Remember to be polite and respectful.

If you need to find your state representatives, you can use this tool or Open States.

MPP staffers Matthew Schweich and Jared Moffat are playing an important role in supporting the South Dakota grassroots effort to get the medical marijuana measure approved by nearly 70 percent of South Dakota voters implemented as swiftly as possible. Check out this Keloland story to learn more about the compromise effort.

Thank you!

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We are urging legislators to support the common sense compromise on the medical marijuana law, House Bill 1100G. 

And we are urging voters to call the South Dakota State Capitol at 605-773-3851 and leave a message for your State Representatives.

Leave your name, district, and your message ("support the compromise" or something to that effect). Please be respectful when you call, and ask the page to deliver the message.

If you need to look up your State Representatives, you can use this tool or Open States.

Thank you for supporting sensible and compassionate marijuana policies!

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It's time to act.

Politicians in Pierre are attempting to thwart the will of the voters and gut key parts of Measure 26. We need you to join in the fight with us right now. Here's how you can help:

1. Contact your state legislators. The first order of business is defeating House Bill 1100, which would severely delay implementation of the medical marijuana program. Click here to email and call your state senator and representative.
    
2. Meet with your legislators TOMORROW at constituent meetings happening around the state. Lawmakers are holding Legislative Coffees & Cracker Barrels tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 13). This is an opportunity to make your voice heard and let your legislators know that you want both voter initiatives implemented without delay or interference. Click here for details about the events tomorrow.
    
3. Sign the petition to Gov. Noem. The governor and her friends in the state legislature believe they can gut key provisions of Measure 26 because "the voters don't understand what they voted on." This is an insult to the 70% of South Dakotans who voted for Measure 26. Click here to let Gov. Noem know that you expect the will of the people to be respected.

We won't sit back while politicians attempt to trample on policies enacted by the people of South Dakota. This is where the rubber meets the road, and it's crucial that we hold the line.

Please take action now and share the details with your network by word-of-mouth and through social media.

Thank you.

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Order your A+26 t-shirt today — $15 from each sale is donated to South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, the 2020 campaign working to pass Amendment A and Measure 26 at the ballot box this year.

This is still a competitive race. Let’s make sure our friends in South Dakota have the resources they need!


South Dakota could become the first state to simultaneously approve medical marijuana and marijuana legalization for adults 21 and over.

And, South Dakota would be one of the most conservative states yet to legalize marijuana, which would create even more pressure on Congress to pass federal marijuana reform next year.

So grab a t-shirt and support a great cause. The South Dakota 2020 legalization campaign needs your support. And, if you don’t want a t-shirt, you can donate directly to the South Dakota campaign.

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There are just a few weeks until Election Day, and the South Dakota campaign is heating up. The opponents are doing everything they can to defeat marijuana reform. They’re resorting to scare tactics and lies, making false claims about Colorado, and being dishonest about the details of Amendment A (the legalization initiative).

The good news is, the 2020 campaign -- South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws -- is fighting back. They sent a mailer to tens of thousands of voters across the state. They’re running TV and digital ads that explain the benefits of Amendment A (which legalizes marijuana for adults 21 and over and protects medical marijuana access) and Measure 26 (the medical marijuana initiative). They have some great Facebook videos from supporters (including popular travel writer and public TV host Rick Steves) that they’re sharing with voters across the state. They’re getting their message out through the media, making the case for legal access to medical marijuana and pushing back on the opponents' false claims.  

And last week they organized an awesome day of action across the state!

The campaign is working very hard, and they’re still on a path to victory.

But in past campaigns in other states, anti-reform forces have spent big money in the final weeks before Election Day. So we can’t take anything for granted in South Dakota.

Here’s how you can help:

1. If you know someone in South Dakota, tell them to double check that they are registered to vote! The deadline is October 19. If they have questions, they should visit SouthDakota2020.org/vote or contact the campaign on Facebook. 

2. If you can, please make a donation directly to South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws. Whether it’s $10 or $100, it will really help the campaign.

3. Buy an A+26 t-shirt! Fifteen dollars ($15) from each purchase is donated to the campaign.

MPP staff are playing an important role in this exciting campaign, which will be historic. Until now, no state has approved medical marijuana and legalization for adults on the same ballot. Let’s make sure our friends in South Dakota have all the support they need to achieve victory on Election Day.

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Get a T-shirt and support the historic 2020 campaign to reform South Dakota's broken marijuana laws!

This November, South Dakota will be the first state to vote on medical marijuana and adult-use legalization initiatives simultaneously. Amendment A and Measure 26 would work together to establish a medical marijuana program for patients and legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over.

Winning in South Dakota will create even more pressure on Congress to pass major federal reform in 2021. So this campaign is important.

Created in partnership with our friends at Kannabis Kings Apparel, the South Dakota T-shirts are available in three different colors and two different logo designs, with short-sleeve and long-sleeve options. Fifteen dollars ($15) from each T-shirt purchase will be donated directly to the South Dakota campaign. (Note: Your contribution will go to South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws and will be included in campaign finance reports just like all donations to ballot initiative campaigns.)

Show your support, grab a piece of marijuana campaign history, and help the campaign win this November by getting your T-shirt today!

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With the start of early voting just around the corner, the campaign to advance marijuana legalization is moving full steam ahead, and they need your help!

First, though, an exciting update! Dakota Rural Action recently announced that they have endorsed both Amendment A and Measure 26. One of their board members, former South Dakota state legislator and Holabird farmer Nick Nemec, gave a stirring endorsement that WNAX radio broadcast across the state!

Their endorsement is great news, but the campaign needs more help sharing effective messages about the benefits of legalization — and that’s where you come in!

The campaign is asking supporters to create 30-60 second "selfie videos" on their cell phones about why they support legalizing marijuana for patients and adults. There are two ways to submit your video:

• If the video file size is 25 MB or less, please email the video as an attachment to info@southdakotamarijuana.org.
• If that doesn't work, send a message to the same email address, and someone from the campaign will be in touch to help you find another way to share the video with them.

If it's a good fit for what the campaign is trying to achieve, they’ll add the video to their website and Facebook pages and maybe make you a star! And, as a reward for your trouble, they’ll even ship you a snazzy t-shirt with the campaign logo on it (even if they don’t use your video)!

Don’t be intimidated to try this — they’re not looking for perfection! They’re looking for authenticity. Just provide your honest opinion about why you believe marijuana should be legalized for adults and patients.

These videos are REALLY effective and give convincing proof that legalizing marijuana reflects the will and hopes of everyday South Dakotans! The campaign looks forward to hearing why YOU plan to vote for Amendment A and Measure 26.

Thank you!

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South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, the 2020 campaign working to pass two marijuana reform ballot initiatives this November, yesterday announced over 50 endorsements from prominent South Dakotans across the state. The endorsements come from health care professionals, former prosecutors, former elected officials, and business owners, among others. The full list can be viewed here.

The campaign also hosted a video press conference yesterday, featuring Brendan Johnson, former United States Attorney for South Dakota, and Chuck Parkinson, who served in President Reagan’s administration and as a staffer to former United States Senator Jim Abdnor.  

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is a statewide ballot question committee, which MPP is supporting, that is working to pass two 2020 ballot initiatives, Amendment A and Measure 26. Constitutional Amendment A would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over and would also require the legislature to pass laws by 2022 regulating the cultivation, processing, and sale of hemp. Initiated Measure 26 would establish a medical marijuana program for patients diagnosed with one or more serious health conditions.

South Dakota will be the first state to vote on medical marijuana and adult-use legalization initiatives simultaneously.

To learn more, get involved, or make a donation to the campaign, visit the campaign's website.

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