Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, reads paperwork while standing at his desk in Senate chambers on the opening day of the 2024 session Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — Senators are again debating whether to legalize medical marijuana for South Carolina patients with debilitating illnesses, two years after a nearly identical bill cleared the upper chamber only to get tossed out on a technicality in the House.
A second day of debate ended Thursday without a vote. Discussions could drag on through next week on a re-do of 2022, when the Senate approved the idea 28-15.
The dialogue so far suggests no minds have changed.
Sen. Tom Davis, who’s been leading the effort for nine years, said the only major difference this time is that his bill doesn’t raise any taxes — the part that got it thrown out. By law, bills that raise revenue are supposed to start in the House. After three weeks of debate in the Senate, an objection in the House stopped floor debate before it ever started.