South Carolina Medical Marijuana Facts

On January 10, 2017, Sen. Tom Davis introduced a bill into the South Carolina legislature to expand the state’s medicinal cannabis program. While there was hope among advocates that the bill would ultimately pass, as of this writing, it had not moved out of the Senate committee.

If it does not pass, seriously ill patients will still be denied access to this safe, effective form of medicine. For people who support a sensible policy in the state, this is one of the most discouraging medical marijuana facts of all for South Carolina.

Medical Marijuana Facts for South Carolina

• A medical marijuana measure known as the “South Carolina Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act of 1979” made medical marijuana available to cancer chemotherapy patients, radiology and glaucoma patients under certain conditions for the purpose of alleviating the patient’s pain and discomfort-at.

• In the region of Columbia, South Carolina (an area that falls under the Richland jurisdiction), nearly 2744 individuals had been arrested for possession of marijuana. This is the highest total among all of the counties and jurisdictions within the state of South Carolina.

• The state of South Carolina has a marijuana tax stamp law enacted. This law mandates that those who possess marijuana are legally required to purchase and affix state-issued stamps onto his or her contraband. Failure to do so may result in a fine and/or criminal sanction.
• This is basically a way that the state can pursue civil action against marijuana dealers and/or people caught possessing weed.
• One of the more interesting marijuana facts for South Carolina is that possession of weed accounted for an astounding 88 percent of all cannabis-related arrests in the state. Only 12 percent of other arrests were related to the sale or manufacture of weed.
• For one of the first times in recent years, a bill was introduced in the legislature during the 2015-16 session that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot. The bill would have made possession of one ounce or less a civil infraction similar to a traffic violation. The maximum fine would have been between $100-$200, and there would be no arrest. However, the bill did not make it to the legislative floor.
• The proposed medical marijuana bill introduced during the 2017 session would have allowed patients suffering from certain debilitating conditions to legally possess cannabis as long as they had a recommendation from their doctor. Patients would be required to apply to the state Department of Health to receive a registration card. This would not only provide them with access to state dispensaries, but it would also protect them from arrest.
• Qualifying conditions under the proposed bill would include cancer, AIDS/HIV, autism, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, certain neurological disorders, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and many others. In addition, the bill would establish a Medical Cannabis Review Board that would consider adding other conditions to the list.
• Either patients or their parents or guardians could designate a person to be their caregiver. A caregiver could only serve five patients at the most.

If you are interested in learning more medical marijuana facts for South Carolina as well as the rest of the United States, check back in with MarijuanaDoctors.com on a regular basis. We will provide updated information as developments warrant.