01/19/2017 / By Mary Wilder
The fact that marijuana hasn’t already been legalized across the United States is one of the most frustrating situations that we are currently dealing with as a country. By this point, we should have long since passed this period of cannabis prohibition, yet there are only a few states in the union where recreational marijuana usage is legal.
This past election season, a number of states loosened their restrictions on cannabis, but most still have a long way to go in that regard. Somewhat surprisingly, South Carolina may be the next state to legalize marijuana when it comes to medicinal use. While there is absolutely no reason why recreational use shouldn’t be legalized as well, these small victories should still be celebrated.
A new bill that is being called the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act has been proposed to the South Carolina House of Representatives and would completely regulate the production and sale of marijuana. One of the many supporters of the bill is House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who stated, “Legalizing medical marijuana in our state is an essential step in reducing the rampant opioid addiction that many have fallen prey to after having been denied what doctors have deemed the best treatment for their medical condition. Seventy-eight percent of South Carolinians believe that marijuana should be allowed for medical use and I am happy to begin this first day of session as a member of a bipartisan effort to do what is best for South Carolinians.”
It is somewhat surprising to see, but it is still nice to see politicians actually listening to the voices of the people instead of pretending that they know better than everyone else. Hopefully, this will become a common trend — at least throughout South Carolina — and it won’t be long before medical marijuana is legalized. That, of course, will eventually lead to recreational use following suit. While it may seem like a small victory in the grand scheme of things, the widespread legalization of marijuana would be a massive step forward when it comes to achieving complete liberty in the United States.
Despite ending his presidency expressing his belief that marijuana should be legalized, Barack Obama did virtually nothing to speed up that process. In fact, he practically ignored the existence of cannabis during his time in the White House. If Donald Trump wants to immediately secure his legacy, one of the first things his administration needs to accomplish is ensuring that cannabis is legalized all across our great country.
Trump wants to make America great again. What would be a faster way to accomplish that than by destroying one of the most ridiculous laws that we currently have in place. We are heading towards having more freedom than ever before — this should be the next step in the process.
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Tagged Under: cannabis, marijuana, medical marijuana, south carolina