South Carolina’s governor, in spite of reservations by law enforcement agencies, says it is “compelling to legalize medical marijuana” within the state. A key GOP legislator who has championed this reform in multiple sessions believes that 2026 will be the year when the task is finally accomplished.
Gov. Henry McMaster said (R) last week, that the supporters of this reform still had grave concerns despite “law enforcement from the top to the bottom.”
He said, “I believe we should study this very carefully and get as much info as possible to make the best decision.”
Tom Davis, a Republican senator who sponsored several bills legalizing medical marijuana cannabis has described his legislation to be “conservative”.
He said that the program was strictly restricted to medical problems. “And really this is all about—let’s not forget what we’re after here—this is about helping patients.”
In a recent statement, the office of House Speaker Murrell Smith, (R), tempered the expectations. They said that “his previous statement about the medical marijuana reform is true”, referring to his remarks on the lack of support in the GOP caucus for the reform.
Davi stated that he plans to talk with Smith regarding the matter, and added that he believes there is enough support in the GOP-controlled House for it to be advanced.
Davis’ cannabis legislation passed in Senate at the end of the legislative session last year, but never made it to the House. Last December, Davis filed an updated version of the cannabis measure for 2025.
Davis at the time said, “It is a medical prescription that requires doctor approval and physician supervision.” The pharmacist must dispense this medication. The bill is conservative because South Carolinians prefer it.
The legislation as introduced would permit patients to obtain medical marijuana through “therapeutic canna-pharmacies” that would be licensed and regulated by the State Board of Pharmacy. Patients would have to get a recommendation from their doctor for treatment of qualifying conditions. This includes several ailments, terminal illness and chronic disease where opioids is the standard care.
Among the public, medical marijuana legalization enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the state, with a poll last year finding that 93 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of independents back the reform.
A previous version of this legislation was passed by the state Senate in 2022. However, it was stalled due to a procedural error in the opposing body.
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When senators began debating the medical marijuana legislation last year, the body adopted an amendment that clarifies the bill does not require landlords or people who control property to allow vaporization of cannabis products.
As debate on the legislation continued, members clashed over whether the current version of the legislation contains major differences from an earlier iteration that the body passed in 2022.
A number of lawmakers are also concerned that the legalization of medical cannabis could lead to an elarging reform that would allow adults to use marijuana. They worry that pharmacists involved in the dispensation process could be put in danger, or that federal law may preempt state laws.
After Davis’s Senate-passed medical cannabis bill was blocked in the House in 2022, he tried another avenue for the reform proposal, but that similarly failed on procedural grounds.
A lawmaker called his party’s stance on medical marijuana “an intellectually laziness position” that didn’t try to explain medical facts in their current form.
South Carolina has also experienced its own struggles with the hemp crop, as some companies have turned away due to disappointing returns.
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