Cannabis-Friendly South Dakota Gubernatorial Candidate, Jamie Smith Criticizes Gov. Noem In Campaign Ad

While its northern neighbor is heading toward legalization of recreational cannabis with a measure now approved to appear on the November ballot, South Dakota is still gripped in a heated debate over the topic.

House Minority Leader Jamie Smith, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, continues to show strong support for policy change, as first reported by Marijuana Moment.

In a recently released TV ad, Smith said that South Dakotans are "getting worn out by the crazy stuff," referring to Gov. Kristi Noem's (R) focus on "overturning our cannabis vote."

The ad opens with two people in a bar enjoying a glass of beer, watching TV and commenting on the governor galavanting on a horse. One of them says Noem is "undermining our votes and corrupting state government."

In May, cannabis activists turned in sufficient signatures to force a vote on the legalization of cannabis after months of tirelessly struggling and dealing with setbacks. After the state Supreme Court struck down the recreational marijuana initiative last year, the Senate approved the new proposal from Sen. Michael Rohl (R) in February to legalize it.

However, Gov. Noem, known for her opposition to marijuana, remained skeptical regarding voters' support for the reform.

"I still believe I haven't seen anybody get smarter from smoking dope," Noem said earlier though adding that she has "supported medical marijuana for years."

Photo: Courtesy of Kindel Media by Pixabay and Hugo Brizard - YouGoPhoto by Shutterstock