The votes were counted, the oath was taken and Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States Friday. However, a new president isn’t the only thing Americans received as a result of the 2016 election — a slew of citizens got sweet changes to marijuana laws after nine states legalized cannabis in some capacity.

With a new leader of the republic, there are bound to be changes ahead regarding many policies and practices in the U.S. Trump has already said the first of his executive orders would change immigration rules and Obamacare, and advance plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile,  states where marijuana was legalized were beginning to structure and implement regulations.

More than half of US states—28—have legalized medical marijuana. Sixty percent of Americans support legalization, according to an October 2016 Gallup poll—including 42% of Republicans. Some of these cannabis supporters live in conservative states, and some are even in their state’s legislature, supporting marijuana reform measures.

On opening day of the state Legislature’s 2017 session, a bipartisan group of legislators touted the latest proposal legalizing South Carolina medical marijuana, indicating support for the previously rejected idea is growing in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Supporters said it’s time for politicians to allow people who are seriously ill or suffering from chronic pain to benefit from a plant that is a far better option than additive prescription opioids.

“I’m tired of seeing people suffering,” said Rep. Eric Bedingfield, R-Belton, whose 26-year-old son died last Easter after a years-long battle with opioid addiction that began with a high school soccer injury.

A bill expanding the use of medical marijuana has just been introduced in South Carolina, and on Tuesday supporters talked about why they are behind what's being called the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act.

In 2014, South Carolina lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill allowing cannabis oil for medical use, but lawmakers didn't realize interstate commerce laws wouldn't let people bring it into the state.  Use was very limited, and many turned to black market suppliers to find the product.  

Leslie Jurado, of Rock Hill, has found the 2014 law frustrating, to say the least. Her daughter, Isabel, 14, suffers from a rare genetic condition, called Sanfilippo syndrome, which strikes one in 70,000  people.  

Even though South Carolina is one of those toe-in-the-water states that only allows certain patients access to non-intoxicating forms of cannabis oil, one state lawmaker plans to change that in the 2017 session by introducing a proposal aimed at establishing a more comprehensive medical marijuana program.

Senator Tom Davis, who is considered one of the state’s leading forces in the push for pot reform, has introduced a bill called the Compassionate Care Act, which would allow patients with a variety of health conditions to purchase cannabis from state licensed dispensaries as long as they have a doctor’s approval.

MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR MOVEMENT … 

Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in South Carolina are making big moves ahead of next year’s session of the state legislature – hoping to capitalize on growing popular(and electoral) support for the issue.

“This could be the year,” said S.C. Senator Tom Davis, who has been leading this fight in the S.C. General Assembly for several years against intense institutional opposition.

Now Davis will have some institutional support.

Sources close to the medical marijuana movement tell FITS they have hired perhaps the hottest hand in state politics – veteran strategist Ed McMullen.

Add Medicare Savings to the List …

This website has been unflinching over the years in its support of legalizing marijuana – both medically and recreationally (here in South Carolina and beyond).

Our main argument?  Legalizing marijuana (and other drugs) is a liberty issue.  As long as you aren’t imposing on the liberties of others, government has no businesses telling you what you can or cannot do in the privacy of your own home.

Let alone busting down the door and shooting you …

Since she was 9 months old, my daughter, Mary Louise, has suffered from seizures — sometimes up to 200 an hour. Watching my daughter, now 8, suffer has led me — as a parent — to seek any treatment possible.

We have tried multiple medications, special diets, and seen specialists around the country. All of these treatments had been largely unsuccessful; however, upon learning of cannabis oil, and the success that other epileptic patients have experienced, we were filled with a new hope.

In 2014, we helped support a bill that ultimately was passed by the South Carolina General Assembly which allowed patients with severe epilepsy to access CBD oil for treatment.

From Maine to Miami, supporters of the cannabis movement are going to pass a torch symbolically shaped as a joint to garner support and show a united front in the fight to legalize marijuana.

It’s organized by the East Coast Cannabis Coalition (ECCC) and the so-called Unity Cypher begins its journey in Portland, Maine on April 14th, making  stops in NH, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, ME, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL. Along the way, organizers promise an appearance (and great photo op) at the United National General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in New York City on April 19 and the National Cannabis Festival in Washington D.C. on April 23.

Robert Reich Bill Clinton’s Labor Secretary made political waves by endorsing Bernie Sanders last week, despite deep ties with the Clinton family, which even includes a date with the future Democratic front-runner during college.