01/16/2026
The governor of South Carolina said in June that there’s a “compelling” case to be made for legalizing medical ma*****na in the state, despite reservations from law enforcement. And a key GOP lawmaker who’s championed the reform over multiple sessions said he’s eyeing 2026 as the year to finally get the job done.
Gov. Henry McMaster (R) said he thinks supporters of the reform have a “very compelling situation,” despite the fact that “law enforcement, almost end-to-end, still have grave concerns.”
Sen. Tom Davis (R), who has sponsored several bills to legalize medical cannabis, has described his legislation as “conservative.”
An earlier version of Davis’s cannabis measure passed the Senate in 2024 but was never taken up in the House. He then filed a revised version in 2025 that also did not advance.
The office of House Speaker Murrell Smith (R) has tempered expectations about reform, saying “previous statement on the medical ma*****na bill holds true,” referencing his comments on insufficient support within the GOP caucus to advance the reform.
Among the public, medical ma*****na legalization enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the state, with a poll last year finding that 93 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of independents back the reform.
The state Senate passed an earlier version of the legislation in 2022, but it stalled in the opposite body over a procedural hiccup.
