Today’s Brew highlights a medical marijuana initiative in South Dakota + who’s getting the most Ballotpedia pageviews among Democratic presidential candidates
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Welcome to the Tuesday, Jan. 7, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
* South Dakota voters to decide measure legalizing medical marijuana
* Yang leads Democratic presidential candidates in Ballotpedia pageviews for third straight week
* Loeffler becomes newest U.S. Senator
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** SOUTH DAKOTA VOTERS TO DECIDE MEASURE LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA
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The South Dakota Secretary of State’s office announced Dec. 19 that supporters of an initiative to establish a medical marijuana program in the state qualified the measure for the 2020 ballot.
If approved, the measure would establish a medical marijuana program for individuals who have a debilitating medical condition as certified by a physician. The initiative defines a debilitating medical condition as a "chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following:
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cachexia or wasting syndrome;
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severe, debilitating pain;
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severe nausea;
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seizures; or
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severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis."
The state Department of Health could also add additional qualifying conditions.
PATIENTS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO POSSESS THREE OUNCES OF MARIJUANA, MARIJUANA PLANTS, AND PRODUCTS MADE FROM THE PLANTS.
A group sponsoring a separate measure to legalize recreational marijuana reported submitting more than 50,000 signatures on Nov. 4, 2019, and are awaiting signature verification by the secretary of state. This proposal would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and require the legislature to pass laws providing for medical marijuana and the sale of hemp by April 1, 2022. An initiated state statute must have 16,961 valid signatures—5% of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election—to be certified for the ballot in 2020.
In South Dakota, if there are two conflicting measures on the same ballot, and both are approved, the one that receives the most ‘yes’ votes supersedes the other where provisions conflict.
Thirty-three states and Washington, D.C. have passed laws legalizing or decriminalizing medical marijuana. Additionally, 13 states have legalized the use of cannabis oil, or cannabidiol (CBD)—one of the non-psychoactive ingredients found in marijuana—for medical purposes.
[Medical marijuana by state]
New Jersey voters will decide a constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana for people aged 21 or older in 2020. That measure would also legalize the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana.
Other states where measures concerning medical marijuana may appear on the ballot in 2020 include Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, and Nebraska.
From 1996 through 2018, voters decided 74 measures in South Dakota in even-numbered election years, approving 39% of them.
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** YANG LEADS DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN BALLOTPEDIA PAGEVIEWS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WEEK
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The next presidential debate is one week from today—Jan. 14—in Des Moines, Iowa. Five of the 14 Democrats running have already qualified for that event. The qualification deadline is Friday, Jan. 10.
One candidate who has not yet qualified—Andrew Yang—led all Democratic presidential hopefuls in Ballotpedia pageviews for the week ended Jan. 4, 2020. IT WAS THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK THAT YANG LED IN THIS METRIC. Bernie Sanders’ page had the second-most pageviews during this week and Joe Biden’s page was third.
We track and report the number of views candidates’ 2020 presidential campaign pages receive to show who is getting our readers’ attention.
Cory Booker’s campaign page saw the largest increase in pageviews—72.4%—compared with the previous week. Two other Democratic candidates—Marianne Williamson and Elizabeth Warren—saw pageview increases of 70%.
Yang remains the leader in overall pageviews this year with 158,464. He is followed by Pete Buttigieg, Biden, Warren, and Sanders.
See the full data on all presidential candidates by clicking the link below.
[Pageviews]
Learn more→ ([link removed])
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** LOEFFLER BECOMES NEWEST U.S. SENATOR
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Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) was sworn in to the U.S. Senate yesterday—Jan. 6—becoming the 67th person to represent Georgia in that body. Loeffler is a businesswoman and co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team.
On Dec. 4, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced he would appoint Loeffler to succeed former Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned the seat on Dec. 31 due to health reasons. Isakson was first elected to the Senate in 2004 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2016.
Isakson’s resignation means that a special election will be held on Nov. 3, 2020, to fill the remaining two years of his Senate term. Loeffler has said she will run for a full term in that contest.
According to the U.S. Senate’s official website ([link removed]) , Loeffler is the 202nd appointed senator since the adoption of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913. That amendment authorized the direct election of Senators and empowered state governors to appoint Senators in the event of a vacancy. THIRTEEN CURRENT U.S. SENATORS—EIGHT REPUBLICANS AND FIVE DEMOCRATS—WERE ORIGINALLY APPOINTED IN THIS MANNER.
Learn more→ ([link removed])
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