Despite the abrupt death of the bill to legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina this year, supporters and advocates say their hope for the legislation is still alive. The “SC Compassionate Care Act,” S.150, advanced further this year than it ever had before, passing the state Senate and making it all the way to the House of Representatives floor for debate, where it was one key step away from reaching the governor’s desk. But before that debate really got underway in the House, Rep. John McCravy, R- Greenwood, who had put up around 1,000 amendments in an attempt to stall the bill, raised a question about its constitutionality. The state constitution requires bills that create a new tax must originate in the House, but S.150 was a Senate bill. House Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope, R – York, ruled the bill was unconstitutional because of this and could not be further debated, killing it. An attempt to appeal Pope’s decision was voted down. Sen. Tom Davis, R – Beaufort, who has been pushing for this legislation for years, disagreed with Pope’s ruling, arguing the bill’s revenue-raising component was ancillary to its primary purpose, to establish a medical cannabis program in the state.
WCSC, Live 5 News, The Lowcountry’s News Leader – Live5News.com, 05/19/2022 20:00:00