Marijuana

The South Carolina Senate started debate over Sen. Tom Davis' medical marijuana bill on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Senators ended the week without taking a vote.

The debate over whether to legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina is extending into a third week in the state Senate starting Tuesday. A Republican leader is telling his colleagues to plan for late nights next week to bring the issue to a vote. The bill has been the only major item debated by the Senate since Jan. 26 — over five legislative days. Sen. Tom Davis has detailed what he called the conservative nature of his nearly 60-page proposal, including banning the smoking of the drug. Opponents have pointed out their opposition stems from concerns that medical marijuana would open the door to legalizing recreational use of the drug.

Next week the South Carolina State Senate is scheduled to begin its' third week of debate on a bill to allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for the treatment of an array of debilitating diseases such as epilepsy. PTSD, and glaucoma. Thirty seven states 37 states have legalized the use of cannabis for medical patients.Law enforcement, religious groups and some doctors are opposed to the bill. Detractors say they fear allowing doctors to prescribe the use of cannabis in oil or pill form, but not smoking, could put the state on a slippery slope toward legalizing recreational marijuana. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, the bill chief author says polling shows that more than seventy percent of South Carolina citizens favor such a law.