With the recent introduction of a new pro-legalization Republican bill pushed forward by Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina, it seemed that the path towards legalization was getting clearer. However, there are still some detractors still popping up to prevent the end of this prohibition. This time, it is, ironically, the Republican party of South Carolina that is attempting to block the new bill. In the past, the party stated that they will stand against any bill that attempts to bring about legalization. Now, they are showing to stand by that statement.

Details

For those unfamiliar with this new Republican bill, it, among other aspects, would deschedule marijuana and essentially make it similar to alcohol. It will change who was responsible for regulating the sale of cannabis. The bill would also introduce a 3.75 percent excise tax. This bill also adds raw cannabis as an agricultural commodity. Finally, the bill would undo past nonviolent marijuana convictions and institute an age limit for purchasing the products.

Reasons

The reasons behind the South Carolina Republican Party’s resistance has to do with the beliefs surrounding the legalization of cannabis. Specifically, they are against anything that ends the prohibition “against the wishes of law enforcement,” while claiming it would have widespread negative effects. They claim that it will lead to “rising crime, violence, and mental health issues in children” when describing these effects.

This resistance isn’t very surprising as the state had yet to allow legalized cannabis of any kind.

Moving Forward

Regardless of the South Carolina Republican party, Mace, the leader of the Republican pro-legalization bill, is undeterred about getting more support for her bill. She stated to already have a handful of GOP cosponsors as well as supporters from the other side of the aisle. Additionally, Mace has seen that a majority of U.S. adults support the idea of legalization. In fact, a majority of those in South Carolina support it as well, according to a recent poll.

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