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Moncks Corner Legal Issues Blog

Why does law enforcement oppose the Compassionate Care Act?

Many states across the country have adopted medical marijuana laws, which allow people with certain medical conditions to use marijuana products to treat their symptoms. South Carolina currently has a bill, called the Compassionate Care Act, being looked at by lawmakers that would legalize the medical use of marijuana. It is important to note that under this law, medical marijuana would mean marijuana byproducts that are not psychedelic. In layman’s terms that means it does not get the user “high.” The benefits from these products are specifically for relief from medical symptoms. While many support the act, there are also many who do not, including law enforcement.

It may be difficult to understand why they oppose the act since so many other states have legalized the product with relative ease. However, with medical marijuana laws being so new, there are still a lot of unknowns, which are outlined by the South Carolina Police Chiefs Association as reasons lawmakers should reject the bill. These reasons include concerns that people will try to capitalize on the new law to earn money illegally, such as making and selling counterfeit medical marijuana access cards and selling the product on the black market for cheaper than legal dispensaries sell it.

They also have some practical concerns. These include having to replace or retrain police dogs to not react to marijuana and making it more difficult to make arrests for illegal marijuana possession. They also share concerns with some citizens about not wanting dispensaries in their neighborhoods. This information is for education and is not legal advice.