[420 Girl]

In 2010, South Dakota residents will once again vote on the legalization of medical marijuana. The South Dakota Coalition for Compassion, a non-profit group compromised of physicians, patients, law enforcement officials and private citizens, submitted 30,000 signatures to the South Dakota Secretary of State this week, 16, 776 more signatures than required to get the initiative on the ballot.

The South Dakota Secretary of State will now examine the signatures, validate each, and certify the initiative so that it can be put on the November ballot.

Last time South Dakotans voted on the legalization of medical marijuana in 2006, the state initiative was defeated 53% to 48%. This time South Dakota Coalition for Compassion is hoping for the passage of the Safe Access Act. The initiative was sponsored by Patrick K. Lynch, former chairman of the board for the North Central States Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and drafted with the help of the Marijuana Policy Project.

The initiative, if passed into law, would allow medical marijuana card holders to possess one ounce of marijuana if they have been diagnosed or treated for certain cancers, glaucoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, seizures or multiple sclerosis, along with other specifically diagnosable ailments. The initiative outlines specific disabilities that qualify patients for use, rules regarding registration cards, distribution, and rules for establishing a registry for medical marijuana users. The entire initiative can be read at South Dakota Safe Access Act

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...ccess-act.html