ARTICLE
No Way on Constitutional Amendment A By Dr. Nathan Sanderson, Historian and Executive Director of the South Dakota Retailers Association I think most of us would agree that the Constitution of the United States of America is a pretty important document. When we seek to change the U.S. Constitution, it’s a moment of significance, an important and meaningful act to address real needs. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and freedom of religion. The Nineteenth Amendment – ratified 100 years ago – guarantees women the right to vote. Any changes are reserved for only the most important of issues. This November, South Dakotans will face the possibility of amending our state’s Constitution by adding fifteen new sections to our founding document, legalizing the sale and use of recreational marijuana. Constitutional Amendment A would not place these provisions in statute, where the elected members of our legislature can take public testimony and debate, discuss, edit, amend, and otherwise rework provisions with unintended consequences. No, Amendment A would place them in our state Constitution, where the only potential to address problematic issues is by putting more amendments on the 2022 ballot for another statewide vote. There’s a reason we reserve Constitutional Amendments for the big stuff – voting age, the right to bear arms, the right to a speedy and public trial, the Presidential line of succession, etc. There’s a reason it’s the world’s oldest written charter. And there’s a reason that the longest amendment to the U.S. Constitution is only 435 words. South Dakota’s Constitution is no place for an amendment to address recreational marijuana. Adding almost 2,300 words – seven times the length of this article – to our foundational document cheapens its purpose and makes a mockery of our democracy. Ask yourself, would I vote to put the sale and use of recreational marijuana in the U.S. Constitution? If the answer to that is no, we shouldn’t put it in South Dakota’s Constitution either. Vote No Way on Amendment A. The South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest trade organizations, operating as the South Dakota Restaurant, Grocers, and Hospitality associations and representing nearly 4,000 businesses. Learn more about SDRA’s support for South Dakota’s business community online at sdra.org or find us on Facebook. - 30 -
No Way on Constitutional Amendment A
By Dr. Nathan Sanderson, Historian and Executive Director of the South Dakota Retailers Association I think most of us would agree that the Constitution of the United States of America is a pretty important document. When we seek to change the U.S. Constitution, it’s a moment of significance, an important and meaningful act to address real needs. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and freedom of religion. The Nineteenth Amendment – ratified 100 years ago – guarantees women the right to vote. Any changes are reserved for only the most important of issues. This November, South Dakotans will face the possibility of amending our state’s Constitution by adding fifteen new sections to our founding document, legalizing the sale and use of recreational marijuana. Constitutional Amendment A would not place these provisions in statute, where the elected members of our legislature can take public testimony and debate, discuss, edit, amend, and otherwise rework provisions with unintended consequences. No, Amendment A would place them in our state Constitution, where the only potential to address problematic issues is by putting more amendments on the 2022 ballot for another statewide vote. There’s a reason we reserve Constitutional Amendments for the big stuff – voting age, the right to bear arms, the right to a speedy and public trial, the Presidential line of succession, etc. There’s a reason it’s the world’s oldest written charter. And there’s a reason that the longest amendment to the U.S. Constitution is only 435 words. South Dakota’s Constitution is no place for an amendment to address recreational marijuana. Adding almost 2,300 words – seven times the length of this article – to our foundational document cheapens its purpose and makes a mockery of our democracy. Ask yourself, would I vote to put the sale and use of recreational marijuana in the U.S. Constitution? If the answer to that is no, we shouldn’t put it in South Dakota’s Constitution either. Vote No Way on Amendment A.
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