Advocates called on South Carolina lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis at a March 28 press conference in Columbia.
Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, reintroduced S. 423, the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, this year after the bill died last year in the House.
The proposal is currently awaiting debate on the Senate floor, where it passed last year in a 28-15 vote.
A Senate vote that would have given the Compassionate Care Act priority for a floor debate in that chamber failed this legislative session, according to a WSPA report.
The bill would legalize medical cannabis for patients with certain qualifying conditions, the news outlet reported, but would prohibit smoking.
Veterans in attendance at Tuesday’s press conference urged Senators to debate the legislation ahead of the April 10 legislative cross-over deadline, WSPA reported.
“South Carolina wants this,” Cody Callarman, a former Marine and the founder of a South Carolina-based hemp and CBD company, said during the press conference, according to the news outlet. “This should have been done years ago. If they want to continue to war on cannabis, that’s fine. But can we at least get the sick, dying and ill off the battlefield?”
Law enforcement groups have been among the bill’s opponents, WSPA reported. They argue that medical cannabis should not be legalized in South Carolina without approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Davis has indicated that debate likely won’t kick off on the Compassionate Care Act until next month, according to WSPA, but he expressed confidence that the Senate will approve the bill again this year.
“I think it is the most conservative, responsible bill in the country,” Davis said, according to the news outlet. “I think this will be a bill South Carolinians will be proud of. I think it’s a bill that accomplishes what most South Carolinians want, which is to empower doctors, help patients but draw that bright line against recreational use.
“In the end, this is going to happen,” Davis continued. “We just have to keep the faith and make the argument and keep trying to persuade.”
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