Medical marijuana, Ravnsborg impeachment hot topics at Sturgis cracker barrel

STURGIS, S.D. (KOTA) - Two issues have captured the majority of the attention of South Dakota voters - marijuana legislation, and the impeachment of state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg - and the people of Meade County gathered to share their sentiments on the matters.

On Saturday, Legislators fielded questions from the public during the 2022 Legislative Cracker Barrel at the Meade County Erskine Building.

Medical marijuana was one of the most discussed topics, with many raising concerns that lawmakers are being restrictive in regards to regulating cannabis.

There are more than 50 bills related to marijuana in this year’s legislative session.

The republican panel made up of Reps. Kirk Chaffee and Dean Wink and Sen. Gary Cammack all say their focus is making sure the legislation is airtight in hopes of avoiding problems down the road.

We’ve seen where it hasn’t been very successful in other states, and we don’t want to follow into that trap,” Chaffee said. “We’d rather make it as secure and safe for our people as possible.”

One person we spoke with at the cracker barrel, local rancher Kent Wilsey, said South Dakota lawmakers don’t understand the root of the issue.

”They piled on regulation to where it’s just not happening. It’s just not happening, and we’re gonna end up with a black market, and it’s going to be just a strong as it was before and they’re going to point to that and say ‘this didn’t work.’ Well, [we’ll say] it didn’t work because they screwed it up,” Wilsey said.

Ravnsborg’s impeachment was also discussed when Chaffee asked for a show of hands if the attorney general should be removed from office and nearly everyone in the room voted in favor.

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