South Dakota
Recreational marijuana is on the South Dakota ballot this November. What to know:
Next month, South Dakota voters will once again determine the state’s fate of recreational marijuana with Initiated Measure 29.
If passed, the measure would allow those aged 21 and older to “possess, grow, ingest and distribute marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia,” according to Attorney General Marty Jackley’s explanation.
Proponents say IM-29 is a “common-sense policy” that would boost the state’s revenue with licensed businesses as opposed to black market sales and allow law enforcement to eliminate prosecuting non-violent marijuana offenses to focus on “real crime.”
Voters originally opted for and passed the legalization of marijuana in 2020. However, the measure was challenged by Gov. Kristi Noem and two law enforcement officers. Ultimately, it was extinguished in 2021 by the South Dakota Supreme Court, citing the ballot measure at the time violated the state Constitution’s requirement that amendments do not encompass more than one subject, according to previous Argus Leader reporting.
Opponents argue that voting Yes on IM-29 could lead to increased public health risks, especially among teens, as well as impaired driving. The measure would also allegedly “open the door for increased crime, suicide rates… and mental health problems.”
What would IM-29 do for South Dakota?
If passed, the debated initiated measure would add four new sections to Title 34 of the state’s codified laws, which covers public health and safety.
IM-29 would legalize recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and older in South Dakota, allowing for possession of up to 2 ounces. Residents would also be able to grow up to six marijuana plants with no more than 12 per household.
It would still remain illegal to drive under the influence, and the measure would restrict where it is contained or consumed, including schools, certain properties depending on the property owner, places of employment according to the employer, and any other locations where tobacco is prohibited.
A fiscal note on the measure says it would “not decriminalize the sale of cannabis but would decriminalize the sale of cannabis accessories.” In other words, marijuana-derived substances would be allowed but marijuana would remain illegal under federal law.
IM-29 also discloses that South Dakota counties may see incarceration expenses reduced by $581,556 per year.
No changes would be made to the medical marijuana program.
What proponents are saying:
IM-29 sponsor, and Executive Director for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Law, Matthew Schweich says voting yes on IM-29 would protect personal freedom and restore the will of the people of South Dakota, referring to the outcome of the 2020 election on the matter.
“Whether we pass measure 29 or not, cannabis already exists in South Dakota. The question is, are we going to be pragmatic and take a common sense approach or are we going to stick with an obsolete failed policy prohibition that has done nothing for us for a century?” he stated during a Sept. 19 South Dakota Public Broadcasting debate against former state lawmaker and Protecting South Dakota Kids Executive Director Rhonda Milstead.
During that debate, Schweich also said he supports “strong labeling and packaging” as well as THC caps on marijuana products.
Proponents for IM-29 said if passed, the measure would help create new South Dakota jobs, reduce spending on incarceration and generate millions in new tax revenue.
This time, they say, the measure is shorter and simpler compared to previous attempts to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
What opponents are saying:
During the SDPB debate last month, Milstead said she thinks no amount of THC will be safe for people.
“So why invite trouble into our state in the form of a drug that is not safe, not responsible and will never be regulated?” she said during the debate.
According to the 2024 Ballot Question Pamphlet, opponents of IM-29 also say the measure will harm South Dakota children, families and communities, going as far as to say that a research report on child abuse said marijuana is often actively used the most by perpetrators of child abuse and neglect.
“I have been diagnosed for years with something called Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome,” Kylee Hanson said. “That’s where the puking, it just comes in cycles for days on end. It’s like you develop some kind of allergy, I guess they would say, for a daily smoker of marijuana, a…
— Paul TenHaken (@paultenhaken) September 30, 2024
Mayor Paul TenHaken has also shown opposition to marijuana use and possession for both medical and recreational use. In 2021, TenHaken proposed a cap on the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Sioux Falls.
On Sept. 30, TenHaken posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is encouraging others to vote No on IM-29, saying he “believes adding another legally addictive vice would not have positive community benefits at this time.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: IM-29, legalizing recreational marijuana, on the ballot in South Dakota
For the first time in the state’s history, South Dakotans will vote in a runoff election July 28 to choose a candidate for governor. Republicans Toby Doeden and Gov. Larry Rhoden were the top two candidates in the June 2 primary election, but neither received 35% of the vote, which triggered the runoff.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the runoff election:
If I didn’t vote in the June 2 Republican primary, may I still vote in the runoff?
Yes. Registered Republicans, regardless of whether they voted on June 2, may vote in the runoff election.
What about the general election in the fall?
Yes. You are not required to vote in primary elections to cast your ballot in general elections.
How long do I have to change my voter registration?
Voters have until July 13 to change or register their voting affiliation. You can find the form to do so on the South Dakota Secretary of State’s website, where you will print the form and submit it to your county auditor.
South Dakota voter guide
What South Dakotans need to know about voting in statewide elections, and who and what are on the ballot.
Who pays for the runoff?
South Dakota state law says that counties are responsible for paying all statewide general election fees. That includes the cost of ballots, poll workers and election equipment. The South Dakota Secretary of State’s office reimburses counties for the cost of post-election audits and administers the system that allows overseas voters, including military personnel, to vote and request ballots.
How do I know where I vote?
You can view your polling place for the July 28 election on the South Dakota Secretary of State’s voter information portal. You will need to provide your full name and either your ZIP code or birthday.
Is this the first runoff for governor?
Yes. The state’s first-ever runoff for governor is happening this year because of a law passed in 1985. Codified law 12-6-51.1 says if one candidate does not receive 35% of the vote in a primary, a runoff election between the top two candidates will take place eight weeks later to determine who advances to the general election. Before that law was passed, if a candidate did not receive 35% of the vote, the winner was decided at state party conventions.
Former Aberdeen Legislator Crafted Law That’s Led To South Dakota’s First Gubernatorial Runoff | Aberdeen Insider His blog can be found online at sodakgovs.com, and he added a Wednesday, June 3 entry about the first gubernatorial runoff election in state history.
If I live in Sioux Falls, may I vote in runoff elections for mayor and governor at the same time?
Yes, but for a limited amount of time, and only at specific locations. The runoff election for Sioux Falls mayor will take place on June 23, and the runoff election for governor will take place on July 28. They are separately administered elections.
But absentee voting for governor opens June 12 and absentee voting for mayor opens June 16. Sioux Falls residents may absentee vote for both races at either the Minnehaha or Lincoln County auditor’s offices. That means that between June 16 and June 22 – the day before the Sioux Falls mayoral election – registered Republicans can visit either office and vote absentee for both elections on the same day. Absentee voting is not available on election day.
Sioux Falls Simplified, The Dakota Scout and Sioux Falls Live are hosting a public mayoral debate on June 12 between candidates Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith. The debate will take place at 4 p.m. at Carnegie Town Hall in Sioux Falls and is free and open to all members of the public. Megan Raposa, founder of Sioux Falls Simplified, said of the debate: “The goal is to discuss specific policy questions based on input from community stakeholders.”
Start here: Sioux Falls 101
Want to get involved in the decisions that shape Sioux Falls? Start here to get a local government crash course.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact reporter/Report for America corps member Molly Wetsch: 605-531-7382/molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A national group of former MAGA supporters is reaching out to South Dakotans with a message. They want Republicans to know it’s okay to have second thoughts about party affiliation.
A billboard for leavingmaga.org is located in the area of 41st and Western.
Rich Logis says leaving MAGA can be a troubling journey, as it’s engrained deeply into one’s identity. He wants to reassure those who may be considering changing their mind.
“For those who don’t know about us but can learn about how to find a new community of those with others who, also like me, were in MAGA and then went through the odyssey of leaving it,” Logis said.
The website offers weekly online sessions, online resources and a newsletter.
“When you leave MAGA, you walk away from demonizing and vilifying and dehumanizing your those with whom you disagree,” Logis said. “We developed a community where people felt they could rediscover themselves and reclaim their humanity, their agency, and their empathy.”
Representative Tim Goodwin said he met President Trump five times and his policies are outstanding. He said Trump’s rhetoric sometimes gets him in trouble, but he did a lot for the country.
Asked if someone can be a Republican and not be MAGA, Goodwin said that’s fine.
“You’re not a Trump follower, but you’re a Republican. Absolutely, you can. I think that’s everybody’s choice,” Goodwin said.
Logis said he hopes to look back on this political era with a sense of pride knowing the group reduced the divisions and polarization that exist in the country.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Land and Lending Conference to feature national speakers on anniversary of 1929 market crash
June 9, 2026
This event listing is sponsored by South Dakota State University.
A prominent financial journalist will anchor a conference in Sioux Falls this fall that explores the credit cycle in the context of the 1929 stock market crash.
The 2026 South Dakota Land and Lending Conference, presented by the Ness School of Management and Economics at South Dakota State University, will be Oct. 15 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
The date marks the 97th anniversary of the onset of the 1929 crash, the greatest financial collapse in American history. Fittingly, the conference this year will explore the credit cycle — how markets expand, overheat and seize — and what that cycle means for real estate, agricultural land, lending and the rural economy.
The event draws roughly 500 real estate developers, agricultural lenders, bankers, investors, policymakers and students from across South Dakota and the region.
“The 1929 crash extended from Wall Street to Main Street,” said Joe Santos, the Larry and Diane Ness endowed director and professor of economics at the Ness School. “It traveled to the farm economy, collapsing commodity prices, depressing land values and shutting down the credit channel along the way. Ninety-seven years later, the credit cycle persists, and the business and policy challenges it creates are ones our audience faces every day. It is the right moment to examine them.”
Andrew Ross Sorkin to anchor morning fireside
The morning opens with a fireside conversation between Santos and Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” founder of DealBook at The New York Times and author of “1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History,” named a Best Book of 2025 by TIME, The Economist, Financial Times and Bloomberg. His earlier book, “Too Big to Fail,” reconstructed the 2008 financial crisis with the same narrative depth.
“Andrew is among the most accomplished financial journalists of his generation,” Santos said. “His new book reconstructs 1929 the way “Too Big to Fail” reconstructed 2008: from the inside, with requisite detail and depth. Hosting Andrew on the 97th anniversary of the crash is no accident.”
Sorkin will then join the land panel “Challenges and Opportunities in Real Estate” alongside Eric Lynch, economist at the National Association of Home Builders; Sean Turgeon, partner and state-certified general real estate appraiser at Rogers Appraisal Service Inc.; and David Widmar, co-founder and managing partner of Agricultural Economic Insights. Paul TenHaken, mayor of the city of Sioux Falls, will moderate the panel.
Natasha Sarin on fiscal policy and the credit channel
Over lunch, Natasha Sarin, president and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale, professor at Yale Law School and former counselor to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, will join Jake Mortenson, economist at the Joint Committee on Taxation, for a fireside conversation on the federal budget, debt sustainability, fiscal policy and the credit channel. Sarin, who also holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, is a contributing columnist for The New York Times and a frequent guest on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” CNN and MS Now.
“Natasha’s research on tax policy, household finance and macroprudential risk management, combined with her Treasury experience, places her at the center of questions that determine the cost of credit for every borrower in the room,” Santos said. “The federal government’s fiscal position and the trajectory of public debt bear directly on Treasury yields, which benchmark mortgage rates, farm credit rates and commercial real estate financing rates.”
Closing panel explores agricultural credit and the rural economy
The afternoon closes with the land and lending panel “Agricultural Credit and the Rural Economy,” featuring Chuck Conner, former deputy and acting secretary of agriculture at the USDA and former president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Rick Dusek, executive vice president at CHS Inc.; Tom Halverson, CEO of CoBank; and Hunter Roberts, South Dakota secretary of agriculture and natural resources. Matthew Diersen, the Griffith Chair in Agricultural Finance at the Ness School, will moderate the panel.
“The closing panel brings the conference home,” Santos said. “Conner shaped the federal policy architecture that governs agricultural credit. Halverson leads CoBank, one of the most significant agricultural lenders in rural America. Dusek runs the operational heart of the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperative. And Hunter Roberts represents the state whose producers, lenders and landowners make up our audience. The Ness School is proud to host them.”
Breakout sessions and reception
Concurrent breakout sessions, sponsored by SDSU Extension, will follow the morning program. A reception will follow the conference close at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets and the full program are available at sdstate.edu/ness-school-management-economics/south-dakota-land-lending-conference-2026.
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