Gov. Kristi Noem reiterated her opposition Tuesday to legalizing industrial hemp production in South Dakota, even in the face of new federal rules allowing the cash crop.

Hemp is seen as a possible boon by many farmers, but Noem said in a statement that legalizing it is akin to legalizing marijuana because it is difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between the two. But the governor also said South Dakota will allow the crop to be transported across the state in keeping with federal laws. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week announced new regulations that allow farmers to grow hemp and ship it across state lines.

South Dakota groups submitted separate signed petitions Monday that would allow residents to vote next year on whether to legalize medical marijuana and recreational marijuana.

Monday was the deadline for submitting signatures to the South Dakota secretary of state’s office for measures for the November 2020 ballot.

Lawmakers have begun writing a bill legalizing industrial hemp in South Dakota in 2020. 

The legislative Hemp Study Committee is building off the failed 2019 bill that would have legalized industrial hemp. However, the 2020 bill's language will be finalized after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announces its hemp program guidelines, which are expected by the end of the year, according to Rep. Lee Qualm, R-Platte. 

The hemp committee's meeting on Monday was the first time legislators gathered since Gov. Kristi Noem announced in a Wall Street Journal column that she plans to veto the hemp bill again in 2020 because law enforcement can't tell the difference between marijuana and hemp.

The tension between the two branches over hemp continued on Monday.

The numbers 11 and 33 come up quite often when the topic of marijuana legalization is discussed. Currently, 11 U.S. states allow the legal use of recreational marijuana, while 33 states have legalized medical cannabis. But those numbers could soon change.

Nine states could be on track to hold key votes on some form of marijuana legalization in 2020. Here are the states that could be next on the marijuana map -- and the stocks that could be poised to profit the most.

For all cannabis legalization’s progress, and all the excitement drug-policy reform and a booming CBD and cannabis market make, much of the United States remains outwardly hostile to marijuana — in some cases, outwardly so.

Against this backdrop, a few states stand out for soldiering on with the drug war.

The legality of selling and possessing CBD oil in South Dakota is murky after a changed state law has resulted in differing opinions.

As the state Legislature was concluding its work in March, new state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced that all forms of CBD, also called cannabidiol, oil are illegal in South Dakota.

But prosecutors responsible for potentially charging people with selling and possessing CBD oil aren't as certain. Some businesses in Sioux Falls are stocking CBD oil, while others have pulled it from their shelves and business owners say customers are uncertain about whether they can legally purchase it.

Recreational cannabis use remains illegal in 40 US states, writes Calvin Hughes. But not all jurisdictions enforce prohibition with the same zeal. Some areas are more ruthless than others. With that in mind, here are the top 5 counties that have the highest rates of marijuana arrests, according to FBI data from 2016.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday vetoed a bill to legalize industrial hemp production in the state, saying it would make law enforcement's job more difficult and could be a first step to eventually legalizing recreational marijuana.

Noem had previously opposed legalizing hemp this year but had not threatened a veto. She raised a host of objections to the bill as it was being drafted.

"There is no question in my mind that normalizing hemp, like legalizing medical marijuana, is part of a larger strategy to undermine enforcement of the drug laws and make legalized marijuana inevitable," Noem said in a statement along with her veto.

There's a jar in the GrassRoots smoke shop on Rapid City's north side collecting tips for a purpose.

"We're going to rent a bus and a driver and go all the way to Pierre," Sharon Neva, the shop's owner, said Thursday.

The farm bill awaiting President Trump's signature aims to legalizes industrial hemp and its offshoot products across the country — but not necessarily in South Dakota. With that in mind, South Dakota merchants who previously sold cannabidiol (CBD) oils and lotions, especially the hemp-extracted kind with cures reported for aches and pains to anxiety and seizures, want to be heard at the legislative session in January.