As of 2022, 37 states have recreational, or at the very least, medical marijuana laws on the books. That means residents and visitors to those states can access cannabis products that can be used to treat everything from anxiety, to migraines, to seizures without fear of going to jail for choosing to consume a natural plant. It also means they can access these products in a safe and legal environment where they don’t have to fear traces of other drugs or unknown side effects.
But for the people of South Carolina, it appears they’ll have yet another year with no such options because the state’s General Assembly is failing to take up a bill that would create a medical marijuana program in the state.
Last Thursday, a motion to give the legislation a special order failed by a 20-20 vote, and advocates on the ground say the Majority Caucus (which would be the Republicans), has no interest in taking it up. So basically what that means is the Compassionate Care Act cannot be voted on, much less even debated.
We’ll go ahead and name names on that vote while we’re at it.
Such actions deny residents the ability to work with their physicians and determine treatment options that are best suited for their needs. It also means people who could treat symptoms in a safer and more natural way will instead be pushed on pharmaceuticals and likely suffer needless side effects.
So much for the party of “individual liberty and limited government.” More like the party of Big Pharma shills and pearl clutchers.
According to sources on the ground, when asked about the reluctance of the General Assembly to pass the medical cannabis bill and join the 37 other states who have allowed their citizens to have this right, legislators routinely point to objections and concerns from the law enforcement community, despite language in the legislation that would create the most conservative, restrictive medical cannabis program in the country.
Police officers often lobby against the interests of citizens, and on the taxpayers’ dime no less. Which is one of many examples for why taxpayer funded lobbying should be illegal. Government agents shouldn’t be able to weaponize our taxes against us or use their authority to diminish our rights. Notably last year, police in South Carolina also lobbied against a Second Amendment bill that allowed permit holders to open carry (they often work against gun rights), but lawmakers didn’t have a problem going against them in that scenario as the bill passed and was signed by the governor.
“It just seems a bit disingenuous to me,” said a source familiar with the situation on the ground. “When we talk to legislators about the medical cannabis issue we are constantly told we need to work on getting support from law enforcement. Well, law enforcement didn’t and doesn’t support either of the recent firearms bills, but the General Assembly didn’t hesitate to introduce and pass those bills over law enforcement’s objections and concerns. I’m not sure why this is different.”
Can someone please explain to us why police have any freaking business whatsoever weighing in on the personal healthcare decisions between a patient and their doctor? Frankly, this sentiment and behavior by police and their unions should piss off anyone who *actually* believes in limited government and individual liberty.
When politicians work for police officers instead of their constituents the system is officially broken. And to be clear, that’s exactly what’s happening here. In a July 2021 poll of general election voters from both parties and independents, citizens were asked: Do you support or oppose allowing patients in South Carolina who suffer from serious medical conditions to use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it? The response was an overwhelming 72% of voters in support, with 15% opposed, and 13% without an opinion.
By 2022, those numbers had increased. An April 2022 poll of Republican primary registered voters in South Carolina asked: Do you support or oppose allowing patients who suffer from an approved list of conditions to have access to medical marijuana if approved by their doctor? The response among these Republican voters was 76% in support, 16% opposed, and 8% unsure.
So what you have here is a case of Republican lawmakers directly working against the interests and the will of their constituents in favor of special interests. When it comes to medical marijuana, we’re talking about real lives on the line. Kids who can be saved from seizures, veterans who can be saved from suicide. But none of that matters to these people, and that should speak volumes about who they serve.
Hannah Cox is a consultant for Americans for Prosperity, which supports this legislation.
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