An independent conservative is now running for House;
George Hendrickson hopes he can accomplish a goal that has eluded independent statewide candidates in South Dakota: winning.
The 46-year-old former police officer and medical cannabis advocate from Sioux Falls is set to announce Sunday that he will run for U.S. House. And he’s hopeful that his conservative platform and promise not to accept money from political action committees will set him apart.
“South Dakota Republicans are always afraid of voting for the independent because it could help elect the Democrat,” he told Argus Leader Media. “But that could be different in this election because every single person I’ve talked to, they are so mad at the establishment, Democrat and Republican alike, that they are dying for a real choice.”
I’ve only met George on one occasion, and I hardly remember what we talked about, but I am well aware of his stances. I applaud his efforts for medical  cannabis to help children, but I keep telling those folks to go whole hog. I still believe if medical and recreational cannabis both get on the ballot that Rec will pass and medical may not. There are more people who want to use the drug for recreation than for medical reasons, and I think people who want it for pain relief don’t want to fiddle with a prescription, they just want to buy it openly and be done with it.
I still think Rec will garner over 52% of the vote. But I also think the AG and Legislature will try to erase the measure if it passes due to Federal regulations.
Cameraman Bruce sent me an interesting article about the ‘Marijuana Treatment’ racket;
Yet, well publicized data from the US Centers for Disease Control, Monitoring the Future, and others reports that daily, monthly, and yearly marijuana use by young people declined sharply during much of this same period. Perhaps even more importantly, studies further report that rates of problematic marijuana – so-called “cannabis use disorder†(CUD) – also fell significantly. For example, data published last week by investigators at the US National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds that the prevalence of past year CUD in young people fell 25 percent in the years between 2002 and 2014. Their findings mimicked those of a 2016 NIDA-funded study which similarly reported a 24 percent decline in problematic pot use by young people.
So, if fewer young people are using pot – and even fewer are doing so problematically – why are more teens than ever before winding up in substance abuse treatment programs? The answer lies with the criminal justice system.
And I believe Jackley and Republican Legislators will try to use the system to kill legalization in our state.