A Rhode Island marijuana legalization bill gets a hearing but appears doomed this year, a South Dakota Native American reservation opens the state s first medical marijuana dispensary, and more.
South Dakota s Badlands. The state saw its first medical marijuana dispensary last week, and the fight for legali pot continues.
Marijuana Policy
Rhode Island Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets House Committee Hearing. The House Finance Committee held a hearing on a marijuana legalization bill, House Bill 6370, sponsored by Rep. Scott Slater (D-Providence). While the Senate has already passed a legalization bill, Senate Bill 568, Slater s bill includes some features the Senate bill does not, including automatic expungement for past marijuana offenses and oversight and impact fees to be paid to municipalities where retail stores open. It would legalize possession of up to an ounce and includes a home cultivation provision allowing for up to 12 plants. No committee vote was taken, and House S
The Wrap: Criticism of Canada Day
Headlines from Thursday, July 1, 2021
Author:
Shoes sit on the Eternal flame in recognition of discovery of children s remains at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, on parliament hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday May 31, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Headlines from Thursday, July 1, 2021
Oki, relatives.
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Sioux Falls Argus Leader
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Gov. Kristi Noem s office and a north-central South Dakota Native American tribe are accusing one another of lying over whether the tribe had input before a decision to hold an Independence Day fireworks display in the Black Hills, a dispute that comes just days before a planned unity celebration at the Capitol.
The National Park Service has cited tribal concerns for its decision to rescind an agreement with South Dakota to allow fireworks to be used as part of a July Fourth celebration at Mount Rushmore. And in response, the governor s office this month filed a legal challenge asserting it had met all the requirements established by the NPS in 2020 to hold a fireworks display in the Black Hills, including consulting with South Dakota s eight Indian tribes.
Educators, historians and some elected officials are urging South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and the state Department of Education to keep politics and personal bias out of the process to develop a new and enhanced civics and history education program for public K-12 schools across the state.
In her State of the State speech in January, the governor proposed one-time funding to enhance and expand teaching of civics and history in public schools, and the state Legislature approved her $900,000 request during the spring session.
In response, the state education department has embarked on development of the South Dakota Civics and History Initiative, a two-year, four-pronged plan to create new teaching content, provide new resources and training for teachers, and increase access to civic and historical lessons and experiences for students, especially at the elementary level. When the plan is finalized, use of the program will be optional for school districts.