Former Sioux Falls mayor Rick Knobe: Hypocrisy over marijuana and alcohol is absurd. Vote yes on IM 29

It’s time to get back to Change Agents of South Dakota ballot endorsements.

A quick memory refresher. We met each Wednesday over the summer interviewing proponents and opponents of the seven ballot issues. We didn’t get to hear both sides of all of them. But we did make the effort.

It took a 60% affirmative vote to receive our endorsement.

Initiated Measure 29 decriminalizes possession and growing small amounts of marijuana. 

For the record, I’m not a pot smoker and I won’t become one if this passes. I don’t know the personal habits of our members, but I believe most of them are like me.

Our courts, jails, and prisons have large numbers of people in them because they got caught with pot in their possession. Some argue pot is a gateway drug. An argument can be made that alcohol is, also. 

Alcohol is legal, yet it costs our society millions of dollars a year in lost productivity, accidents, death, financial ruin and divorces. 

The current penalties for possession of alcohol in your car and in many public places are much more lenient than the possession of pot in the same places. 

You can’t be arrested for possession of booze or making small amounts of wine or beer in your home, but you can for pot.

The inconsistency is obvious. We think it’s time to end it.

Yes, it needs to be taxed and regulated.

We are encouraging a “Yes” vote on IM 29.

It fits with the other two freedom issues on the ballot: Amendments G and H. We will discuss them tomorrow.

Rick Knobe is a former mayor of Sioux Falls and a longtime radio talk show host who is now retired but remains active and involved in his community and state as an independent political observer and commentator. His columns appear regularly on The South Dakota Standard.

Photo: from the Yes on 29 Facebook page.