COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two decades after California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana, efforts to let patients legally access the drug are gaining in South Carolina with the help of conservative lawmakers.

While 28 states allow comprehensive medical marijuana programs, only two of those are in the South. Arkansas and Florida voters approved theirs through the ballot last November. Neither is in place yet.

A law signed in Louisiana last year, also not yet in effect, doesn’t allow the smoking or vaping of marijuana.