Lawmakers in the South Carolina House of Representatives introduced two bills for the 2023 legislative session to legalize medical marijuana. If any of the bills gain momentum, the Palmetto State could join the other 37 that have legalized medicinal cannabis.

A poll conducted by Winthrop University in 2022 showed that more than three-quarters of South Carolina voters are pro-medical cannabis. “Support for medical marijuana has increased in South Carolina, with sizeable bipartisan majorities in favour.” said Scott HuffmonDirector of the Winthrop survey, which weighed the opinions of 1298 respondents.

However, support drops in half when asking about recreational marijuana. While 78% of adults want medical cannabis legalized, 54% support recreational cannabis legalization.

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

Pre-submitted invoices

The first pre-bill, known as the Put Patients First Act, would allow patients to use medical marijuana with exemptions and allow dispensaries statewide. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s Compassionate Care Act covering the use of medicinal cannabis has also been filed. reported ABC news.

Co-sponsored by (D) Minority Leader Death Rutherford and (R) MP Jay Kilmartin the Put patients first would make cannabis available to qualified “registered patients” with a doctor’s recommendation, while caregivers and dispensaries would be allowed to “grow, cultivate and dispense marijuana for medicinal purposes.”

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

Photo of Clint Patterson on Unsplash.