South Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved a Senate-passed bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. A subcommittee of the House Medical, Military, Public, and Municipal Affairs Committee advanced the measure, sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis (R), in a unanimous vote after adopting a couple of amendments. Now it will move to the full committee, which will hold a public hearing on the measure on Monday. The Compassionate Care Act passed the full Senate last month. It was prefiled in late 2020 and passed out of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee last March, but alone senator blocked it from reaching the chamber floor in 2021. Since then, Davis redoubled his efforts to get the bill across the finish line, arguing that South Carolina voters are ready for what he’s repeatedly called “the most conservative medical cannabis bill in the country.”. The senator said in January that House Speaker Jay Lucas (R) agreed to “allow the bill to go through the House process” if it advanced through the Senate, but a spokesperson for the speaker later told The Charleston Post and Courier that “Sen. Davis doesn’t speak for Speaker Lucas.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/31/2022 09:33:00