COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Compassionate Care Act, otherwise known as the medical marijuana bill, was in front of a state senate subcommittee for the first time on Wednesday as a part of the 2019 session.
Lead sponsor and Republican Senator Tom Davis, Beaufort, said they've already made changes to the bill to make it more appealing to stakeholders.
“Yes, I think this process makes it a good bill, but it also educates the public and members of the general assembly and it's going to be a better bill as a consequence of it,” Davis said after the meeting.
Senator Davis spent a 90 minute Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee hearing explaining the recent changes to the Compassionate Care Act.
Davis added a strike and insert amendment to the bill, which allowed the additions. He said the changes came from talks with stakeholders in the debate over medical marijuana.
“Whether it's law enforcement, whether it's the medical community, whether it's the attorney general, whether it's business groups like the chamber of commerce and BIPEC, I mean I want there to be a serious discussion with them, listening to their concerns then a very good faith effort made to address those concerns in this bill,” Davis said.
The Senator added that the changes emphasize the bill's medical focus.
Some of the changes include creating an opt-in policy for doctors, stricter prescribing guidelines, and better direction on sales tax funds put to medical research.
The stricter prescription guidelines mean doctors must be in the field of expertise in which they’re prescribing. For example, meaning an oncologist would have to be the one prescribing medical cannabis products to a cancer patient.
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It also added language on medical marijuana marketing and public education, along with direction on registration documentation making it harder to fake.
Republican Senator and Medical Affairs Committee Chairman Danny Verdin said the focus is on medicine.
“A very conservative approach with the emphasis on evidence-based-science. I think we can get there in time. I believe that it's very important that the medical and scientific debate catch up with the political debate in this country,” Verdin said in his office after the hearing.
Verdin is not on the subcommittee, but praised Davis’ direction, passion, and understanding of the issue.
He continued that the bill is a work in progress, but said he thinks it could pass the Senate if brought to the floor after more discussion in front of the committee.
Davis and Verdin touched on the bill's restrictive approach as a reason it’s different from laws passed in places like California and Colorado.
Davis’ proposed bill would allow registered patients to get 2 ounces of cannabis-based medicine every two weeks. It does not allow the smoking of marijuana.
It also can only be prescribed for certain medical conditions like cancer and PTSD.