Hey Bud! Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending the press conference at the South Carolina State House pertaining to legalization of Medical Marijuana (MMJ). South Carolinas Medical Cannabis bill is called the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act. The act is intended to allow those with a need for medical cannabis legal access to medical cannabis.

During the press conference we heard pleas from a variety of South Carolinians including Veterans, Doctors, Parents and Senators. In this article we will cover where SC Stands with Cannabis, what the SC Compassionate Care Act constitutes and our experiences yesterday at the State House.

Where does South Carolina Stand on Medical Cannabis?
Medical cannabis has been a hot topic in the United States and while cannabis reform has swept the nation South Carolina has remained anti cannabis, until now. During our visit to the State House Yesterday we learned a ton and met with several advocated including Senator Davis and Senator Goldfinch.

South Carolina has long opposed cannabis reform, however, that is all beginning to change. The changes began in 2014 when SC created a path for individuals with epilepsy to gain access to MMJ, but then we sort of stopped. Any progressive motions in the General Assembly have been cut short.

In 2021 S.C took a more serious stance on pushing through the MMJ bill, and in 2022 SC 150: SC Compassionate Care Act is sitting at the top of the pile of bills on Special Order. Being on Special Order essentially means that once picked up nothing else can be viewed, discussed, debated on or passed before we have a thumbs up or down on the Compassionate Care Act. To say the least, this is major!

What is the Compassionate Care Act?

The Compassionate Care Act is South Carolinas Medical Marijuana bill. It is a 49 page plan that encompasses the entirety of South Carolinas potential MMJ industry. Within the bill you will find what conditions make a person eligible for MMJ, what products will be sold in South Carolina MMJ Market, and who and how the market will be regulated.

This is a very conservative cannabis plan with strict rules and regulations. This plan is far from a recreational adult use cannabis plan, and is primarily geared towards therapeutic use of cannabis.

So will the Compassionate Care Act Pass?

The real answer is only time will tell. Next week the State Senate will begin to debate whether or not they will pass the bill, but the sponsors of the bill appear confident that they have all the appropriate answers to any opposition which may surface. From our perspective, it looks pretty good.

Senator Davis is one of the many sponsors of SC Compassionate Care Act and he shared his thoughts, opinions and experiences with trying to pass this bill over the last EIGHT YEARS.

State Sponsors: Senator Goldfinch and Senator Davis

Senators Goldfinch and Davis both shared their perspectives on MMJ during yesterdays press conference which you can watch for yourself on our YouTube channel. Senator Goldfinch shared his experiences with Mothers and Children who have visited him pleading for cannabis reform.

He goes on to say that he has seen the benefits of MMJ on several different occasions. He shared his experiences of watching the benefits of cannabis first hand as a mother prevented her daughter from further seizures in his office during their meeting with a quick, simple dose of THC.

Before concluding he said “I have no idea why the policy of South Carolina is to stop the child, or veteran, or anybody else who needs this, this drug, at the expense of everyone else. I don’t know why we would stop these people who need it from getting their hands on this that can be truly beneficial so that we can stop the pothead from getting a bag of dope. That is the most ludicrous policy that we could ever had. That is the most unfair policy that we could ever have.”

Senator Davis also had several moving moments within his 9 minute speech as he talked about his experiences over the last 9 year of his work on cannabis reform in South Carolina. He makes a joke by mentioning, “Just last week the Mississippi Senate, the Mississippi Senate! Voted 47 to 5, 47 to 5, for a much broader medical cannabis bill that were debating.”

Senator Davis dives into so many interesting topics in his speech and he is very confident that there is no logical opposition to moving forward with progressive cannabis reform in South Carolina. He explains that the Controlled Substances Acts which classifies cannabis as a schedule one drug is not preemptive, and that it explicitly invites the States to opt in and supplement and to do what they think is best for their citizens, “Which is way you see 36 States taking advantage of that Authority,” he says. He says, “That argument that we can’t act is a lie,” when discussing the Federal Laws pertaining to Marijuana. He continues by explaining “Every year congress acknowledges that, every year in the budget congress says to the department of justice, of this money we’re appropriating for you… you can’t use a penny of that money to challenge any state that has legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.” Senator Davis appears confident in his stance, and even more so seemed irate at his opposing senators for continuing this fight for medical cannabis and dragging out this bill for nearly a decade.

Veterans, Citizens, Doctors and Parental Perspective

Among the Senate Sponsor speakers were several South Carolinians who expressed their experiences with cannabis, their perspective on medicinal cannabis and their pleads with the State to provide a path for access to medicinal marijuana in South Carolina.

There were a handful of brilliant individuals who shared their perspective from the personal experiences. Among this group were 2 Doctors, 2 Veterans (including our Cultivar Partner Cody Callarman) and 2 Parents in Dire need of MMJ access. Hearing these stories was chilling, enlightening and encouraging all in the same moment.

Its chilling because it’s the cold, honest truth that unnecessary cannabis prohibition on the Federal level and continued suppression of MMJ on the State Level has led to unfair and unnecessary suffering, crippling pain, stress and anxiety and drastically decreased health in so many South Carolinians. But hearing their experiences with cannabis and hearing them explain their turnaround with MMJ and how much better they were with access to cannabis was so enlightening. Each and every one of them had a unique experience and struggled in their own way, but all of them found the relief they had pushed the limits of modern medicine to find, on the streets of South Carolina in black market cannabis.

Hearing the replies from the crowd, the senators and the fellow speakers was overwhelming encouraging. It appears that our state may have come to terms with cannabis, and is prepared to move forward, reforming out current prohibitory laws. 

Among the dozens of reasons that South Carolina is looking for MMJ legalization is the fact that if we do not provide citizens with a legal route to MMJ, they will be forced to take alternative routes to find the relief. Why should someone have to go to the streets for a plant that benefits them? Why do we continue to prescribe medicines that don’t work to people who don't need them?

What Best Buds is Doing

As a company we strive to do what’s right for our customers and our communities. While we fight for cannabis reform in the state, we have a fully loaded federally compliant cannabis store packed full with alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Our products include CBD, Delta 8 THC and a mixture of flower, oils, edibles and topicals to improve your day to day.

We put our best foot forward when it comes to education about cannabis as well. We have a blog completely dedicated to cannabis education where we talk about the benefits of cannabis for health, how to properly use products and what products might be right for you. Can’t find exactly what your looking for or need help choosing the right product? NO PROBLEM! Best Buds has you covered. Contacts us anytime by email, phone, or reach out through social media and we will do our absolute best to help you find the relief you deserve.