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Charleston, South Carolina Marijuana Cards
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Applying For a Charleston, South Carolina Marijuana Card
While the laws surrounding medical marijuana in South Carolina remain murky, the near future looks promising. There are high hopes that the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act (Bill 423) will officially pass this year, enabling qualifying residents to apply for a Charleston, South Carolina marijuana card.
As of right now, South Carolina does have a limited High CBD program in place — which is similar to Florida’s MMJ Program. However, a medical marijuana (MMJ) card is not required. This means South Carolina residents can currently be prescribed cannabidiol (CBD) with higher concentrations of THC if they meet the state’s strict requirements.
With all of the above in mind, medical marijuana doctors and clinics are gearing up to help patients get on track with applying for MMJ cards in the state. Below, we’ll explain everything you need to know about applying for Charleston, South Carolina marijuana cards in the (hopefully) near future.
Read on to learn the answers to all of your questions regarding South Carolina MMJ cards.
South Carolina’s High CBD Program Explained
If marijuana isn’t legal in South Carolina but cannabidiol is, what’s the point of the state’s Cannabidiol Medical Marijuana law?
The CBD MMJ law — otherwise known as Julian’s Law (S 1035), was enacted in 2014. Julian’s Law essentially states that individuals diagnosed with severe epilepsy may be granted permission to use CBD products containing concentrations of up to 0.9% THC for treatment purposes. All other CBD products that are legal for public sales and purchases are heavily regulated and may contain no more than a THC concentration of 0.3%.
This limited program was designed to help patients with severe forms of epilepsy who were not responding adequately to traditional medicine. The program is also what breathed hope into the state’s future medical marijuana laws, as cannabis has proven itself as an effective therapeutic treatment for some of the harshest medical conditions.
What Will the SC MMJ Program Look Like?
As of right now, there’s no schematic for what the South Carolina Medical Marijuana Program will look like. However, it’s safe to assume that this program will be formatted similarly to others in states where medical marijuana has been legal for some time now. This includes South Carolina’s northern counterpart.
As of right now, to be eligible for an MMJ card in North Carolina, where medicinal cannabis is legal, an individual must be properly diagnosed with the following health conditions:
- ADD/ADHD
- Anxiety
- Arthritis or chronic joint pain
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cancer
- Crohn’s Disease
- Chronic pain (anywhere in the body)
- Depression
- Epilepsy
- Gout (and Gout pain)
- Glaucoma
- Graves Disease
- Hypertension
- HIV and AIDS
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Insomnia
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Migraines
- Muscle spasms
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoarthritis
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Psychological conditions
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Seizures
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Tremors
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Ulcerative Colitis
There are plenty of other conditions that may still qualify under North Carolina’s MMJ program. However, it’s important to keep in mind that South Carolina may enact stricter policies as it’s still a conservative state.
Will Primary Caregivers Qualify For MMICs in South Carolina?
In most other states where medical marijuana is legal, primary caregivers are permitted to obtain medical marijuana identification cards (MMICs). MMICs allow designated caregivers to purchase medical marijuana products on behalf of a patient under their care.
No provisions have been laid out as of yet regarding MMICs. However, there’s no ID system in place under Julian’s Law either. So, we can safely assume that once the bill passes, there will be a provision for caregivers or at least an amendment down the road.
What Will the SC MMJ Process Look Like?
Following the guidelines of other states, including North Carolina, obtaining a Charleston, South Carolina medical marijuana card will likely follow these steps:
- First, you will have to schedule an appointment with a qualified physician to obtain the proper documentation for your medical records. To be clear, this physician will have to be registered with the South Carolina Department of Health as a medical marijuana doctor, and the documentation must state that you have been accurately diagnosed with a qualifying condition.
- Next, you will likely have to register with the State of South Carolina Department of Health’s website. Your physician may be able to help you with this if necessary.
- Once you’ve been entered into the state’s registry and have obtained the proper documentation, you’ll have to submit your application and pay the associated fees.
- Lastly, you’ll need to wait for approval from the state. In other states, this takes up to three weeks, and patients are notified via email with instructions on the next steps.