COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate once more on Wednesday handed a invoice permitting folks to make use of marijuana and associated merchandise for medical wants.
Identical to in 2022, Republican Tom Davis’ invoice is off to the Home. It died again then on a procedural ruling within the last days of the session, crushing the Beaufort senator who had been working to cross it for a decade.
Davis stated he likes his probabilities this time and requested Home leaders to carry a vote on the invoice earlier than the session ends in Could and it dies due to all of the work that has gone into it.
“I can not consider a invoice that has undergone extra testimony, extra scrutiny and extra debate,” Davis stated.

The Senate authorised the invoice 24-19 with a bipartisan mixture of sure and no votes.
To get assist in a conservative state like South Carolina, Davis has crafted some of the restrictive medical marijuana packages within the nation. He guarantees over and over that he has no intent to permit leisure marijuana use.
Smoking the drug can be unlawful. As an alternative, sufferers must use oil, salves, patches or vaporizers. The diseases that may be handled are specified, together with most cancers, a number of sclerosis, glaucoma, sickle cell anemia, autism and a few post-traumatic stress dysfunction diagnoses. The marijuana could possibly be obtained solely by means of specifically chosen pharmacies.
Medical doctors must meet sufferers in particular person, and sufferers may solely get a two-week provide at one time. Employers may ban their staff from utilizing the drug.
Opponents of the invoice fearful the proposal would open the door to permitting leisure marijuana. They are saying federal guidelines nonetheless do not enable marijuana for medical use, and it hasn’t been completely studied.

“I can not consider a extra harmful place for us to get out of our lane,” stated Republican Sen. Greg Hembree of Little River.
Davis began mainly with solely himself, taking over the difficulty after listening to from the spouse of the senator he changed who suffered from trigeminal neuralgia, a uncommon nerve dysfunction that causes excruciating ache in her head.
Margaret Richardson, who calls herself a conservative Christian, first took opioids, however they wrecked her physique. On the finish of her rope, somebody urged a hashish vape pen. It modified her life. She slept 13 hours that evening. However now she and her husband had to determine methods to get extra.
“In case your spouse was howling in ache and also you had one thing in your nightstand that would give her speedy reduction, would you inform her no?” Davis stated. “You’d break the legislation.”
Davis then heard from increasingly individuals who stated medical marijuana was their solely hope. He began every day within the Senate in 2016 with one other story about somebody he met. He spoke to his colleagues one-on-one, lastly getting a Senate flooring debate in 2022. The Senate handed the invoice 28-15.
The invoice made it by means of a Home committee and onto the ground in Could 2022 earlier than Republican Home Speaker Professional Tem Tommy Pope dominated it contained an unconstitutional tax enhance and couldn’t be thought-about additional. The ruling got here as opponents rolled a cart with 1,000 amendments to the entrance of the Home chamber.
Davis eliminated the 6% charge on medical marijuana gross sales that induced the Home chief to rule in opposition to him on this invoice.