At the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Joe Sneve reports Legalize recreational marijuana, tax at 15%, South Dakota pot panel says.
The "pot panel" is the The Marijuana Interim Study Committee, composed of state lawmakers, and their recommendations suggest that however long the moral arc of the universe might be in South Dakota, it bends toward the Rushmore State's lovely motto.
After all, as Sneve reports:
The 15% tax rate being recommended mirrors what voters passed in Constitutional Amendment A, the ballot measure that sought to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2020 but is tied up in court following a legal challenge by a pair of South Dakota law enforcement officers and Gov. Kristi Noem.
Well, I'll be blue-nosed gopher. More from the article:
The South Dakota Legislature should legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana, according to a panel of lawmakers who've spent months studying cannabis policy.
The Marijuana Interim Study Committee wrapped up the work it began last spring Wednesday, when it formally adopted a recommendation to be sent to the full Legislature that would end South Dakota's prohibition on marijuana use, cultivation and sales. It also recommends establishing a 15% tax on the sale of cannabis products in the state.
"I'm not a supporter of marijuana but I'm trying to make sure that if we're going to have it, we've got a good, solid regulatory system that is in the middle somewhere," said committee co-chair Rep. Hugh Bartels, R-Watertown. "That controls the product, makes sure it's safe, makes sure it stays away from our children as much as we can, and that it pays for itself."
The recommendation calls for allowing dispensaries, testing and cultivation facilities to be licensed by the state while allowing local governments to establish restrictions and prohibitions of their own. It would not allow growing of recreational cannabis in private residences. . . .
Read the entire article at the Argus Leader. One thing to bear in mind, as Sneve reported earlier on October 18:
What is clear, though, is that no matter the route legislative summer committees take into the next session, voters might get the final say. South Dakota for Better Marijuana Laws is in the process of gathering signatures to force a recreational marijuana measure back on the 2022 ballot. And those efforts won't be affected by any recommendations that come out of the summer committees when they wrap up their work later this month, SDBML Director Matt Schweich said.
"I hope we can work with them, but there is no scenario in which we stop collecting signatures based on committee recommendations," he said.
We're wondering if that might work out for the best. As Sneve reports in the October 18 article, private, in-home growing of adult cannabis for one's personal stash was allowed in the measure voters approved last November.
Photo: Cannabis growing in a warehouse.
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