South Dakota Supreme Court weighs pot legalization battle
Mike Tanner/KWAT
April 29, 2021
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has heard final arguments in a legal battle sparked by an attempt by Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration to strike down a voter-passed constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana.
The high court will decide whether recreational pot use, medical marijuana and hemp cultivation are enshrined in the state’s constitution.
Voters passed the measure in November. But Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Rick Miller mounted a legal challenge to its constitutionality on Noem’s behalf, and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom also sued to block legalization.
On Wednesday, lawyers argued before five Supreme Court justices in Pierre.
