Anti-pot coalition waging heavier campaign against recreational marijuana in S.D. this time around

The passage of Amendment A two years ago has awoken an anti-cannabis coalition in South Dakota that sat on the sidelines of the 2020 election that nearly ended cannabis prohibition.

From mayors and sheriffs to politicians and faith leaders across the Mount Rushmore State, there’s no shortage of engaged opponents to Initiated Measure 27. They hope to thwart yet another effort by South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws to legalize recreational marijuana in South Dakota.

And while Amendment A faced resistance in 2020, the opposition to IM-27 in this election is more aggressive than two years ago.

Matthew Schweich, the campaign manager for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, acknowledged during a recent campaign event that opposition to IM-27 is more robust than it was against Amendment A.

At the event, Schweich announced that teams of IM-27 supporters were being dispatched across the state to register voters. He said that one of the biggest threats to IM-27’s success was complacency among supporters about getting to the polls.

NEWS: Anti-pot campaign launches ahead of November vote to legalize recreational marijuana use in South Dakota

“We have done so much work to get to this point,” Schweich said. “To fail at the final hurdle is intolerable to me.”

Cannabis and a tale of two campaigns

Leading up to the 2020 election, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry led the opposition campaign – No Way on A – against Amendment A. While it had some assistance from Gov. Kristi Noem, who appeared in some ads that began running late in the election cycle, other opponents stayed out of the fray.

But not this time.