Winning in South Dakota will help us win at the federal level

Follow and support South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws.

This election will matter, and more than most.

It’s hard to overstate its importance in any number of areas, and that includes the struggle to end the prohibition of marijuana.

There will be marijuana reform campaigns in states across the country including South Dakota, where two initiatives to legalize medical marijuana and adult-use marijuana have qualified for the November ballot.

You might be wondering: South Dakota, really? After all, it’s a conservative state. But we’ve done our research, and voters are ready for marijuana policy reform.

And this campaign is important for our federal efforts: South Dakota's two United States senators, John Thune and Mike Rounds, are both in key positions to affect marijuana policy in Congress.

Neither are supporters of reforming our nation’s failed marijuana policies. They do not support removing marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, enacting the SAFE Banking Act, or even eliminating federal obstacles to medical marijuana research and access.

However, South Dakota voters can give these two senators a strong reason to reconsider their positions by approving both of the two ballot initiatives this November! Elected officials know that in order to win reelection, they cannot ignore their constituents.

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, a political campaign supported by the Marijuana Policy Project, is ramping up its efforts and it needs your help. Please follow the campaign on Facebook, sign up for campaign alerts, and make a contribution.

Our strategy of reforming state laws in order to increase pressure on members of Congress to reform federal laws could soon pay off in a big way. We are nearly at a tipping point, and winning South Dakota is key to maintaining our momentum.

Thank you.