https://abcnews4.com/news/local/sc-senate-approves-medical-marijuana-bill-bill-moves-to-house

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) – The medical marijuana bill in South Carolina is now onto the House. The Senate approved Bill 150 Thursday morning after making some amendments earlier this week.

The proposal specifies the illnesses that could be treated, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, sickle cell anemia and autism, and the marijuana could be obtained only through specially chosen pharmacies.

Smoking the drug would remain illegal in South Carolina. Instead, patients would have to use oils, salves, patches or vaporizers. Doctors would have to meet patients in person and patients could only get a two-week supply at one time.

Cody Callarman, a Marine Corps veteran and South Carolina hemp farmer, has been an advocate of the bill for years.

“I had my own personal struggles years after leaving the marine corps,” he said. “I was living in California at the time and had access to legal, recreational cannabis. And that definitely helped me.”

Callarman says he’s excited to see the bill reach a historical mark.

“This is the seventh year and thankfully the final year that it’s gone through the Senate, so now its time for it to go through the house of representatives and get it through there so South Carolinians can have access to medical cannabis.”

Senate Bill 150 is being touted as one of the most conservative medical marijuana bills in the country. If the bill is passed, smoking the drug would still be illegal, but patients can use oils, salves, patches or vaporizers.

Senator Tom Davis is the sponsor of the bill, and says the latest version has some changes.

“The bill’s original form was dispensaries would dispense the medical cannabis to patients who have been authorized to get it by their doctors,” said Sen. Davis. “The amendment provides that pharmacists, state licensed pharmacists will actually be the ones that dispense that medical cannabis.”

Sen. Davis says after nearly eight years of working on the bill, he knew changes would need to be made in order to move the bill forward.

“It took a while to educate my colleagues as to why this is efficacious, and to point out to them 37 other states have done this, various medical associations are pushing for this,” he said.

The bill now moves on to the House, and it must be approved before the General Assembly ends in May or it will die. If it passes in the House, it will move to the governor’s desk.