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WEBVTT ADDRESSES CONCERNS OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA WHILST HELPING PATIENTS. >> SUPPORTERS SAY THAT THIS BILL IS TAILOR-MADE FOR CONSERVATIVE STATES LIKE SOUTH CAROLINA. GIVEN NEW PUSH FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN SOUTH CAROLINA. >> OUR JOB, MY JOB AND THE JOB OF THOSE BEHIND ME IS TO PRESENT A BILL AND TO GET A BILL PASSED THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF SOUTH CAROLINIANS VALUES. IT ADDRESSES ALL THE CONCERN A MARIJUANA BILL RAISES IN A STATE AS CONSERVATIVE AS THIS ONE. >> IS A VERY TIGHTLY DEFINED BILL. THERE ARE SPECIF CONDITIONS THAT THIS CAN BE USED FOR. IT I SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT AND POSITION RECOMMENDATIONS. >> ALMOST ANYONE CAN QUALIFY FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA. THIS BILL ONLY ACCOMMODATES PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS LIKE KATHY STEVENS DAUGHTER. >> SHE IS ALMOST NINE YEARS OLD AND SHE IS GETTING SO BIG AND WE KNOW SHE NEEDS THE FULL POWER OF THE CANNABIS PLANT TO HELP CONTROL HER SEIZURES. >> THIS INCLUDE SLED. HE SAYS THAT MARIJUANA AS IT WAS AN APPLE AND DOESN’T QUALIFY AS MEDICINE. >> THAT IS MAKING SENSE TO ME. >> HE BELIEVES THAT SUPPORT IS THERE FOR HIS BILL. AND THAT MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. >> SANTEE COOPER SET OF

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An act that would legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina was introduced Tuesday in the State House.The Compassionate Care Act is sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis and Rep. Peter McCoy."It's about doctors and patients deciding what's in a patient's best interest, not politicians, not law enforcement," Davis said.The bill includes measures that would allow doctors to legally prescribe medical marijuana to alleviate chronic conditions ranging from epilepsy to sickle cell disease to cancer. Surveys show 72 percent of South Carolinians are in favor of legalizing marijuana, according to experts.“This is South Carolina, not California or Colorado, and what the vast majority of people in our state want is a socially conservative medical marijuana law, one that provides medical patients truly in need with relief but draws a bright line against recreational use by imposing strict penalties,” Davis said.The proposed legislation is not without opponents. Dr. John Ropp, chairman of the South Carolina Media Association, released a statement saying:“For nearly 50 years, marijuana has been a Schedule I drug, a schedule reserved for substances that have the highest potential for abuse, lack known medical value, and high potential for addiction. “Marijuana proponents, including those who believe marijuana has theoretical medical value, have long desired the DEA change marijuana to Schedule II, which would dramatically improve the availability of marijuana for scientific testing. We are not opposed to this.“As physicians, our main concern is medical safety and efficacy, which can only be clearly determined for marijuana after controlled scientific testing on a widespread peer-reviewed basis. For decades, the DEA, FDA and National Institutes of Health have all agreed on this same process. “Until such widescale testing occurs, it remains dangerous for our legislative body to ask physicians to be the gatekeepers for marijuana in our state.”