CONWAY, SC (WBTW)- South Carolina lawmakers are debating legalizing medical marijuana for those with debilitating medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, and glaucoma.
If passed, medical marijuana would have to be recommended by a doctor and the patient would register with the Department of Health and Environmental Control to get a card to buy from a dispensary, which would also be regulated by DHEC.
Judy Ghanem has been fighting for this legislation for four years. Her daughter has a rare genetic disorder that would benefit from medical cannabis. She and others were in Columbia Wednesday lobbying for this bill.
The bill has moved forward into a full committee in the Senate. Ghanem said she’s still hopeful even though the overall impression was that it won’t pass this year.
“Although our opponents claim the opposite, it is a matter of life and death and if the bill gets postponed another year, people will die. It’s very emotional,” said Ghanem.
SLED opposes medical marijuana unless it’s regulated by the FDA, and thinks it will divert into recreational use.
Excess revenue from the sale of medical marijuana products would be split between SLED, DHEC, the general fund, and Medical Cannabis Research and Development.
Ghanem is urging people to reach out to lawmakers concerning this legislation.
