A bill to legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina will get priority status and be taken up on special order next week, the measure’s sponsor said at a rally in the state Capitol on Wednesday. Sen. Tom Davis (R) said that he’s spoken to Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey (R) about his bill, the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, and received a commitment that it would be “one of the very first things we take up” in the chamber this session. Importantly, he said that there was an agreement to consider the legislation on special order, which means that once it’s taken up, senators will have to vote on it before they move forward with any other piece of legislation. Davis gave an impassioned speech at the rally alongside patients and advocates. He brought out a large binder that he said contains eight years of research into the issue that he will use to “take on every single argument that has been raised in opposition to this bill, and I’m going to show that they cannot stand in the way of facts and evidence.” He also said that he’s spoken to House Speaker Jay Lucas (R), who agreed that if the measure advances through the Senate, he will “allow the bill to go to through the House process.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/19/2022 13:55:00