South Carolina's New Year Could Bring Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, Lawmakers Pre-File New Bills

Lawmakers in South Carolina's House pre-filed two bills for the 2023 legislative session to legalize medical marijuana. If one of the bills gains momentum the Palmetto state could join the other 37 that have legalized medical cannabis.

A poll conducted by Winthrop University in 2022 showed that more than three-fourths of South Carolina voters are in favor of medical cannabis. “Support for medical marijuana has been growing in South Carolina with sizable majorities from both parties favoring it,” said Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop Poll that weighted the opinion of 1298 respondents.

However, support drops to half when asked about recreational marijuana. While 78% of adults want to see cannabis legalized for medical purposes, 54% are in favor of recreational legalization.

South Carolina remains one of the states reluctant to legalize cannabis including Texas, Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana and Tennessee, but that could change.

Pre-Filed Bills

The first pre-filed bill, known as the Put Patients First Act, would authorize patients to use medical marijuana with exceptions and allow dispensaries across the state. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act was also filed for the use of medical cannabis, reported ABC News.

Co-sponsored by (D) Minority Leader Todd Rutherford and (R) Rep. Jay Kilmartin the Put Patients First Act would make cannabis available to qualified “registered patients” with a doctor’s recommendation, while caregivers and dispensaries would be allowed to “cultivate, grow, and dispense marijuana for medical use.”

The South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, would similarly “authorize the use of cannabis products by patients with debilitating medical conditions who are under the care of a physician, with exceptions,” per the bill's text.

Photo by Clint Patterson on Unsplash.