What you need to know about the medical marijuana bill in the South Carolina State House

After seven sessions of circling the South Carolina State House, the medical marijuana bill, sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, will have a shot on the Senate floor.

As South Carolina debates the “most conservative” medical cannabis bill, perceptions of the drug and the scope of its use are resurfacing.

What you need to know about South Carolina’s proposed medical marijuana bill

• Davis refers to it as the most “conservative” and restrictive cannabis bill in the U.S. If passed, this bill would legalize medical marijuana in the form of oils, patches, creams, gummies, edibles, etc., but it doesn’t allow marijuana to be legal in a combustible form where it is lit and smoked like a regular cigarette.
• Only 13 conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, among others can qualify as a reason to consume medical marijuana, unlike other states such as Mississippi, which has 26.
• These conditions need a doctor’s note and recommendations and can only be bought from a dispensary that is overseen by DHEC and is run by a pharmacist.
• The bill, called the “Compassionate Care Act” derives most of its support from groups of veterans, parents and patients with long-term ailments, such as cancer. They have said that cannabis helps alleviate pain and provide relief in severe cases of PTSD.

[Read more at Greenville News]