It seems that every time there is an election, there is a group of people who push to make sure they get their shot at becoming the next state to legalize marijuana. Even though the idea has been declined a handful of times in South Dakota, a group is pushing for marijuana measures to appear on again on the 2018 ballot.

As stated in the measure, South Dakota residents over 21 would be able to possess an ounce of marijuana (28 grams) or grow up to five plants at a time. Non residents would only be able to posses a quarter ounce.  

If you do your research on the topic, it seems that legalizing marijuana seems to have a ton of positive effects on the state. In 2015, the state of Colorado made $996 million in tax revenue and surpassed a billion dollars in the first 10 months of 2016 from the recreational use of the drug. The legalization also created 18,000 jobs and added around $2.4 billion to the state’s economy. State after state have decided to follow Colorado’s decision and there are now eight states that have legalized the recreational use of the drug.

Considering that South Dakota is one of the least progressive states in the country, it seemed like the idea of legalizing marijuana was a silly idea. However as a part of the measure, the money collected from the excise tax and sale of the drug would go to teacher pay and school supplies, to the Department of Health for drug prevention and abuse education campaigns and to law enforcement agencies to help police illegal drug use and sale.

With all of the positives of the measure, it is hard to imagine that people could vote against it. Whether you want to smoke marijuana or not, you can not deny that teachers and schools deserve better in South Dakota. However, no one would be willing to accept a tax hike to pay for it. Passing the measure would be a happy medium for those who want to better the education system but also aren’t looking to take more money out of their wallet.  (Colorado used $54.2 million of the their tax on marijuana towards their schools.)

Whether or not this measure appears on the ballot in 2018 depends on if a petition reaches 14,000 valid signatures and reaches the secretary of state’s desk by Nov. 2017.