South Carolina’s Comprehensive Medical Cannabis Bill Advances in 2025

14 January 2025

A renewed push to legalize medical cannabis is unfolding in South Carolina with the formal introduction of S.53—the “South Carolina Compassionate Care Act” — on January 14, 2025. This measure, sponsored by Republican Senator Tom Davis and co-sponsored by Senators Goldfinch and Sutton, updates an earlier proposal that previously passed the Senate but never advanced in the House. If passed, the Act would permit patients suffering from chronic, debilitating, or terminal conditions to obtain medical cannabis under strict guidelines, including physician certification, pharmacist oversight, and tightly regulated dispensaries known as “therapeutic cannabis pharmacies.”

Key elements of the current bill text show that it addresses extensive operational details, from cultivation center licensing and product testing requirements to child-resistant packaging and advertising restrictions. It also imposes limits on THC milligram content, bans smoking and home cultivation, and outlines new rules for open-container transport, criminal penalties for violations, and the handling of cannabis within motor vehicles. While no tax provision is included in the bill — an omission aimed at avoiding procedural barriers—stakeholders say this conservative approach is intended to meet the concerns of opponents and ultimately secure the critical House approval in 2025.