GOP Lawmaker Calls For 'Medical Freedom' As South Carolina Moves Toward Critical House Vote On Cannabis Bill

South Carolina lawmakers and advocates are urging the State House to pass Senate Bill S423, a very restrictive medical cannabis bill passed by the State Senate in February, aimed at aligning the state with national trends toward compassionate care.

Bipartisan Unity Supporting Compassion

During a press conference in the statehouse lobby on Tuesday, supporters of the bill, dubbed the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, voiced a collective demand for legislative action. The bill, having cleared the Senate in a 24-19 vote, now faces its next hurdle in the House.

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Crafted as one of the nation’s most stringent medical cannabis laws, the proposed act would strictly regulate the plant’s medicinal use. Patients, under a physician’s guidance, could access non-smokable forms such as topicals, tinctures, vaporizers, and edibles, marking a significant policy shift in a state with historically conservative views on cannabis.

Medical Freedom At The Forefront

State Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort), the bill’s proponent, criticized the intrusion of healthcare bureaucracy into patient care. “Medical freedom — the primacy of the physician-patient relationship — is something legislators like to say they champion, so let's empower physicians who think cannabis can be therapeutic for their patients,” Davis stated in a press release.

The Compassionate Care Act proposes the Department of Health and Environmental Control oversee the licensing of cultivation centers, processing facilities, and dispensaries. If passed, this conservative bill would allow eligible patients with debilitating medical conditions to receive registration cards to purchase approved cannabis products, aligning South Carolina with the legal frameworks observed in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

“It's not California, it's not Colorado, it's not a liberal state's cannabis bill. It is a conservative state's medical cannabis bill with lots of regulation and lots of medical professional involvement,” Davis said earlier in March.

Overwhelming Public Support

With a recent Mason-Dixon poll indicating over 83% of adults in favor of the reform, the bill’s advocates highlight a disconnect between current policies and public opinion.

March 2024 ⁦@MasonDixonPoll⁩ re: South Carolinians' support for #MedicalMarijuana: 83% all voters, 74% GOP, 84% independents, 93% Dems. Yet the bill that passed the SC Senate languishes in the SC House, where pols insist on making medical decisions for physicians/patients. pic.twitter.com/Rf90x7kyCL

— Tom Davis (@SenTomDavisSC) March 13, 2024

The bill, whose critics point out that its exclusion of smokable products may inadvertently limit the economic growth and potential size of the legal industry, now navigates the complexities of South Carolina's House.

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