PO Box 5925, Greenville, SC 29606
Best Point Of Contact - Justin Smith, jas3@g.clemson.edu
The federal prohibition of marijuana should end. Specifically, I support the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which passed the House but has stalled in the Senate. This legislation would remove marijuana from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act and expunge related federal convictions.
I support the full legalization of marijuana for responsible adult use. South Carolina should join the growing number of states that have legalized, regulated, and taxed marijuana. Additionally, nonviolent marijuana related offenses should be automatically expunged with legalization.
Short of full legalization, I support the decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana. Far too many lives have been negatively impacted due to harsh penalties associated with simple possession—a nonviolent offense. Additionally, studies indicate that people of all races use marijuana at the statically same rate; however, Black and brown people are prosecuted for marijuana related offenses at a disproportionately high rate. The decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana is one step we must take to create a more just criminal justice system.
I strongly support the S.C. House Compassionate Care Act, which, if enacted, would allow South Carolina patients to access medical cannabis when prescribed by a physician. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation that passed the SC Senate, but, unfortunately failed in the SC House due to procedural moves. In the South Carolina House of Representatives, I will fight to pass the Compassionate Care Act as well as additional legislation to join the growing list of states and territories that have fully legalized and regulated cannabis.
Medical marijuana should be legal and accessible to patients when prescribed by their health care provider. With proven medicinal properties, medical marijuana is a far safer alternative to many prescription drugs, and has documented pain relieving potential. The legalization of medical marijuana is also a way to tackle the opioid epidemic, which has negatively affected millions of Americans.