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To: SC Governor and General Assembly

We, the undersigned citizens of South Carolina, hereby petition the
Governor and General Assembly of the State of South Carolina to
enact appropriate legislation to permit licensed physicians to
prescribe marijuana, and to ensure a safe and affordable supply of
marijuana for medical use.

WHEREAS, Scientific and medical studies by the National Academy of
Science have shown marijuana to be a safe and effective medicine
for the treatment of glaucoma, epilepsy, muscle spasticity,
arthritis, anxiety, depression, the symptoms of withdrawal from
alcohol and narcotics, and the nausea, vomiting and appetite loss
associated with chemotherapies; and

WHEREAS, The State of South Carolina legally recognized the
medicinal value of marijuana in 1980 (South Carolina Controlled
Substances Therapeutic Research Act of 1979); and

WHEREAS, South Carolina polls indicate that 71% of respondents
believe drug abuse should be addressed with treatment rather than
incarceration (Global Strategy Group, 2002); and

WHEREAS, National polls indicate that at least 70% of United States
citizens support medical marijuana when prescribed by a physician
(AARP, Time Magazine, Gallup); and

WHEREAS, The billions of dollars spent prosecuting and imprisoning
sick people in South Carolina and across the nation could be better
spent on programs emphasizing treatment, education and
rehabilitation; and

WHEREAS, Compassion and common sense demand that we allow America's
seriously ill citizens to use whatever medication is most safe and
effective according to their doctors to alleviate their pain and
suffering;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Governor and General Assembly of
the State of South Carolina enact appropriate legislation to permit
marijuana to be prescribed by licensed physicians and to ensure a
safe and affordable supply of marijuana for medical use.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

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the SC Medical Marijuana Campaign is a project of

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Talking Points from The Marijuana Policy Project

Medical marijuana is a popular issue. A November 2005 nationwide Gallup poll showed 78% of Americans “support making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering,” and state medical marijuana initiatives have been repeatedly endorsed by voters.

So far, only four state legislatures — Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont — have had the courage to stop arresting patients without a drive from the voters.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a compassion issue.

Many otherwise illegal substances, such as cocaine and morphine, can legally be prescribed by doctors. The same should be true for marijuana.

Many of the legal alternatives proposed by opponents of medical marijuana are too expensive, too addictive, and have too many side effects to be good medicine for all patients.

Chemotherapy patients who are too nauseated to eat or swallow a pill should not have to fear arrest if they — and their doctors — find that smoking marijuana is the most effective means of treating their symptoms.

Ultimately, the decision of what medicine is best for an illness should be left up to the patient and the doctor, not to the government.

When they have their doctors’ approval, patients should be able to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest and imprisonment. They should also be able to rely on a safe supply of marijuana, without having to resort to the dangerous criminal market.

State government should use tax money to prosecute violent crime, not punish medical marijuana users.

For all of these reasons, our legislature should enact laws that protect patients from arrest and imprisonment.

Please use the link below to contact our legislators!