Cannabis already legal in parts of South Dakota

Hey guess what the ninth most important cash crop in South Dakota is.

Brandon Ecoffey is editor of Lakota Country Times.

Over a year ago I had a conversation with former OST councilman Larry Eagle Bull Sr. about the possibility of legalizing marijuana on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. At that time we estimated that tribes would have approximately a 3 year window to establish its own industry before the rest of the country rapidly legalizes and big corporations take over production. Last week when the Wounded Knee district board passed a motion indicated that at least some in the district support legalization the debate picked up steam once again. The citizens of the Oglala Nation deserve to have a strong economy and legalized pot may be the quickest way to achieve it. [Ecoffey, posted at Indianz]

Deadwood and tribal gaming are inextricably linked. Revenue from the sales of cannabis would require a change in the state's constitution just as it was to enter gaming compacts with tribal nations. South Dakota's gaming commission could regulate off-reservation cultivation and sales.

A Senate committee approved a measure Wednesday that would allow terminally ill patients access to treatments that aren't FDA approved but have undergone some testing. Rep. Leslie Heinemann, R-Flandreau, is the prime sponsor of House Bill 1080. The bill is written to waive liability and also makes participation voluntary for patients, doctors and drug companies, Heinemann says. "When patients come see us as physicians, they're not only looking for ways to get better, they're also looking for hope," Sen. Blake Curd, R-Sioux Falls, said.

Read more at KELO teevee linked here.

The South Dakota Democratic Party supports:

10. Ongoing evidence-based research into the use of alternative medical therapies for specific patient populations.

11. The patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality and the resources to make an informed decision in one’s health care.

Addiction? After South Dakota closed the brothels in Deadwood Bill Walsh and Tom Blair pressed a five-dollar bet limit to preserve historic Deadwood because the Syndicate Building burned to the ground.

South Dakota's junior senator signaled support for Attorney General Eric Holder's drive to bring cannabis into the mainstream by voting against Lynch's confirmation to succeed Holder.

U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy believes cannabis shows medical value and supports its expanded research as medicine.

Unaffiliated or so-called 'independent' voters support legal cannabis overwhelmingly.

Racism and guns are bolstering Republican gains in the West while young people, cannabis rights advocates and Latino voters support Democratic efforts.

Tribes can do this: the South Dakota Legislature should be kept out of the cannabis loop completely unless Deadwood chooses to be the test bed off-reservation.

If the South Dakota Democratic Party is too timid to tackle legal cannabis the task should fall to the fledgling South Dakota Progress.