A slim majority of South Dakota voters disapprove of Republican Gov. Kristi Noem’s approach toward cannabis in the state, according to a recent poll.
Regarding the governor’s approach to marijuana legalization, the poll found:
- 25.8% of voters strongly approved.
- 17.8% somewhat approved.
- 17.8% somewhat disapproved.
- 33.4% strongly disapproved.
- 5.2% had no opinion.
South Dakotans voted in favor of legalizing adult-use and medical marijuana markets in November 2020.
The state Supreme Court recently rejected the recreational marijuana initiative after a court challenge backed by Noem.
A campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in South Dakota in 2022 is currently underway.
Meanwhile, the state’s medical marijuana program is moving ahead, with a company recently chosen to help manage the licensing process.
Overall, the poll found that a majority of South Dakota voters approved of Noem’s handling of multiple issues.
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“Of the five topics on which Noem was rated in the poll, she fared by far the worst in regard to marijuana,” according to South Dakota News Watch, which sponsored the poll in conjunction with the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota.
The random telephone poll of 500 registered voters was conducted between Oct. 20-23 and had a margin of error of 4.5%.
