A Republican South Carolina senator on Monday refuted his party\u2019s position on marijuana, defending a Democratic gubernatorial candidate from GOP attacks over his support for reform.<\/p>\n
After former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) came out with a plan to legalize cannabis for medical and recreational purposes as part of his campaign for governor, South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick voiced opposition and said the Democratic candidate wants to \u201cplay with fire\u201d by embracing the policy change.<\/p>\n
But state Rep. Tom Davis (R) said his own party\u2019s stance, particularly as it concerns medical cannabis, is \u201can intellectually lazy position that doesn\u2019t even try to present medical facts as they currently exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRe: SCGOP\u2019s statement on medical cannabis: an intellectually lazy position that doesn\u2019t even try to present medical facts as they currently exist and that embarrassingly cribs @taylorswift13<\/a> lyrics in a desperate effort to sound cool\/clever. Fail.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Tom Davis (@senatortomdavis) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
This isn\u2019t the first time that Davis has clashed with his party on marijuana. Case in point: he sponsored legislation this session to legalize medical cannabis<\/a>\u2014a bill cleared the Senate Medical Affairs Committee<\/a> in March but has since been placed on hold. Davis went so far as to threaten to use his power to block other bills from advancing if his reform proposal was stopped<\/a>. Leadership has since promised him that the measure will be the first bill taken up at the beginning of 2022.<\/p>\n
Now the state has a Democratic gubernatorial candidate running on an even broader legalization platform, and Davis is breaking party lines to help ward off GOP attacks on the issue\u2014though he\u2019s not exactly endorsing Cunningham\u2019s campaign to unseat incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster (R).<\/p>\n
\nThe marijuana laws we have on the books aren\u2019t just outdated, they never made sense in the first place. And they are holding our state back and actively hurting our people. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s time to safely and responsibly end the prohibition of marijuana in South Carolina. https:\/\/t.co\/G6kBWGXiTk<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Joe Cunningham (@JoeCunninghamSC) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
McKissick, the state Republican Party chair, argued in a statement that crime and health problems are exacerbated in states that have legalized cannabis. And he said that law enforcement and health professionals should have the final say over whether the plant should be permitted for medical use.<\/p>\n
\n“If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes, and Democrats like Joe Cunningham keep wanting to play with fire. Does Mia McLeod agree with his proposal?”<\/p>\n
See below for Chairman @DrewMcKissick<\/a>‘s full statement: https:\/\/t.co\/mRcexBjI7k<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/FOl4deQDCm<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 South Carolina Republican Party (@SCGOP) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Cunningham, for his part, said at a press conference on Monday that \u201cit\u2019s time for elected officials to admit that what we are doing has not been working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAlthough there are career politicians who would rather live in the past, I prefer that we, as South Carolinians, look to the future,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is why I\u2019m running for governor\u2014to bring South Carolina out of the past and into the future. Our marijuana laws are stuck in the past. They aren\u2019t practical, and they hurt more people than they help.\u201d<\/p>\n
The candidate said he \u201cwill be a governor who can admit when a policy fails, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the prohibition of marijuana has done exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur marijuana laws continue to have a disproportionate impact on communities of color,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cA person of color is nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana though someone who\u2019s white, even though they use marijuana at the same rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Democrat\u2019s plan<\/a> includes a plank to expunge prior cannabis records.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a game changer in South Carolina,\u201d he told<\/a> The Associated Press. \u201cThere are so many reasons why we need to do this, and the time is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe war on marijuana was never based on science or data. It was based on fear, prejudice, and lies. And it\u2019s hurt our state.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time to tell the truth and safely end the prohibition of marijuana in South Carolina. <\/p>\n
Check out my plan >> https:\/\/t.co\/HKAniYvnio<\/a> #LegalizeSC<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Joe Cunningham (@JoeCunninghamSC) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cThis is something the people want,\u201d he said. \u201cIf our politicians aren\u2019t reflecting the will of the people, then we have to change out the politicians, starting with Governor McMaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia McLeod, who is running against Cunningham for the Democratic party nomination, agreed that \u201cpublic perception about marijuana has changed and so must the laws that govern its use.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n.@JoeCunninghamSC<\/a>‘s primary challenger SC Sen. @MiaforSC<\/a> releases her own statement on his proposal to legalize marijuana, taking a shot at the former congressman. pic.twitter.com\/2Z7TIsPLt1<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Maayan Schechter (@MaayanSchechter) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
But she took a hit at her opponent, saying that it\u2019s \u201cimportant to understand the difference between campaign promises and what we choose to fight for while in office.\u201d She added that as a state lawmaker she has \u201cactually sponsored legislation to legalize and decriminalize marijuana, unlike my Democratic opponent who had the chance to do so while in Congress\u2026but did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cunningham did proactively cosponsor measures to remove barriers to marijuana research and allow doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to issue recommendations for medical cannabis, however.<\/p>\n
He also voted in support of marijuana law reform on several occasions on the House floor, including for passage of standalone bills to federally legalize cannabis and allow businesses in the industry to access banking services. He also backed two separate amendments to prevent the Department of Justice from spending money to interfere with state marijuana laws.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I served in Congress, I helped pass the MORE Act which decriminalized marijuana on the federal level. But I was in DC long enough to know that we can\u2019t wait on the feds to act. It\u2019s up to us here in SC to lead on this issue. And when I\u2019m Governor, I will. #LegalizeSC<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/S3obq2pJuz<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Joe Cunningham (@JoeCunninghamSC) July 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Cunningham did, however, oppose an amendment aimed at removing barriers to research on psychedelic drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In any case, the former congressman is getting a helping hand from a somewhat unlikely source.<\/p>\n
Davis described the South Carolina Republican Party\u2019s response to Cunningham\u2019s cannabis proposals as a \u201cfail\u201d and said the institution \u201cembarrassingly cribs [singer Taylor Swift\u2019s] lyrics in a desperate effort to sound cool\/clever.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April, the senator said that federal prohibition was imposed under the Nixon administration in order to \u201cpunish\u201d the president\u2019s political enemies. That said, he stressed that he\u2019s only interested in ending prohibition for medical cannabis and that his measure is not a \u201cslippery slope\u201d to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019s\u00a0legislation<\/a>\u00a0would allow patients with qualifying conditions to possess and purchase up to two ounces of cannabis every two weeks.<\/p>\n
During the committee hearing in March, Davis repeatedly made the case that his bill \u201cis the most conservative medical cannabis bill in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Carolina is one of a select few states without an effective medical cannabis program, though it does have a limited CBD law on the books.<\/p>\n
A poll released in February found that\u00a0South Carolina voters support legalizing medical marijuana<\/a>\u00a0by a ratio of five to one. But the state does not have a citizen-led initiative process that has empowered voters in other states to get the policy change enacted.<\/p>\n
Support for medical marijuana among South Carolina residents has been notably stable, as a 2018 Benchmark Research poll similarly found 72 percent support for the reform, including nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Republicans.<\/p>\n
Also that year, 82 percent of voters in the state\u2019s Democratic primary election\u00a0voted in favor of medical cannabis legalization<\/a>\u00a0in a nonbinding ballot advisory vote. Lawmakers\u00a0prefiled four marijuana measures for the 2019 session<\/a>, but they did not advance.<\/p>\n
Davis said earlier this year that if the legislature doesn\u2019t advance the reform, he\u2019d propose a bill to\u00a0put the question of medical marijuana legalization to voters<\/a>\u00a0through a referendum.<\/p>\n
A coalition of advocates for health care and criminal justice reform, as well as veterans groups, have recently\u00a0stepped up their push to get medical cannabis legalized<\/a>\u00a0in South Carolina.<\/p>\n
\nSchumer To Unveil Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill On Wednesday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post GOP South Carolina Lawmaker Defends Marijuana Stance Of Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate From Republican Attack<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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