Legal Pot-Use Initiative Argued in South Dakota High Court (1)

A governor-backed lawsuit to block cannabis sales was heard Wednesday in Supreme Court in South Dakota, the first state where justices could close down a voter-approved recreational marijuana initiative.

Justices will rule later about the legality of the measure (Amendment A) that would permit possession and impose a 15% tax on weed sales.

They were asked whether the measure contained too many provisions and violates the constitutional requirement that initiatives stick to a single subject. “I count 15 subjects and 55 subsections,” Justice Janine Kern said during the hearing.

The initiative involved cannabis and hemp. Hemp is ...