Secretary of State Rejects Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says her office has rejected a ballot measure to allow people with serious medical conditions to use marijuana.

Krebs said Wednesday that supporters didn't turn in enough valid signatures to put the measure before voters.

The proposal was geared toward people with conditions such as cancer who proponents say could be helped by marijuana.

The office looks at signatures and petition completeness as part of its review before the measures can appear on the ballot.

Krebs says a check conducted shows that only about 9,000 signatures turned in were valid. That's short of the nearly 13,900-signature requirement.

The office says challengers have through March 4th to contest the rejection.

Activists have failed to legalize medical marijuana at least twice over the past decade using the initiative process.

See Also:

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.