South Carolina House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford [D] and Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter [D] introduced a bill Tuesday to allow qualified patients to obtain a recommendation from a physician to use medicinal cannabis.
A recent poll published by Benchmark Research indicated that 72 percent of South Carolina residents support the legalization of medical marijuana.
HB3272, also known as the Put Patients First Act, would permit physicians to recommend cannabis for patients with any of a number of conditions including glaucoma, cancer, HIV, AIDS, severe pain, cachexia, severe nausea, seizures, muscle spasms, or other debilitating symptoms that are deemed treatable with marijuana.
The measure would permit patients and their caregivers to possess up to two ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to six plants in a locked indoor space with three or fewer being mature.
In certain cases where the quantity limits are insufficient to meet an individual’s needs, a physician may provide medical verification as an affirmative defense that the patient’s condition requires higher doses of cannabis oil than the law normally allows.
In addition to home cultivation, cardholders would be allowed to obtain medicinal marijuana from licensed dispensaries as well as each other. The bill also includes protections against discrimination for cardholders who use medicinal cannabis outside the workplace.
Should HB 3272 become law, it will become effective from the moment that the governor signs it.
