State Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee approved a medical marijuana bill

In 29 states medical marijuana is allowed. On Wednesday, the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee amended and approved a medical marijuana bill. This will send it to the full Senate Medical Affairs Committee for consideration.

ABC News 4 spoke to families who are hoping legislation will eventually pass.

“Enough to get a patent, then it’s obviously got medical value,” Mark Montrose is advocating for his 10-year-old daughter.

“This isn’t something I would’ve imagined myself doing five to ten years ago. I’m retired military, I was a just say no kid, had the t-shirt.”

Until his wife gave birth to their daughter Mary-Kate. “She’s got hydrocephalus, and then along the way that’s when the Cerebral Palsy became more noticed, we didn’t find out about the Epilepsy until she was five.”

Diagnosis’ preventing her from living like a normal 10-year-old. “Brushing her teeth, brushing her hair, getting herself dressed, those are things she has to have someone help her with.”

Mark said despite her conditions, Mary-Kate is a trooper. “She’s had both her legs broken and rotated, so she lives in quite a bit of pain, but she’s tough,”

And has made many improvements using CBD or cannabis. “She went from having sometimes, to like 12 seizures a night to like one or two a month.” Eliminating two medicines in the last year.

Navy veteran and now registered VA hospital nurse, Donald Howell is advocating with the group Compassionate SC. “On October 23rd, while we were asleep, a truck bomb came in and blew up in the entire building.”

As a result, Howell is now blind in his right eye, he suffers from PTSD. “Out of my medical department, which we only had 17 people, I’m the only survivor.”

Since retiring in 2001, he’s gone to nursing school, a way to help suffering veterans like him. “Being a veteran myself and a nurse, I understand that some of them are opting suicide.”

We spoke to Senator Kevin Johnson (D) Clarendon County. He said he opposed the bill, “Because the bill that we are debating has strong opposition from the law enforcement and medical communities. The bill is more of a bill for those who want marijuana for recreational use as opposed to for medicinal purposes. Amendments to the original bill makes some improvements, but I still oppose the bill.”


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