residential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R- FL) came out strongly against the legalization of recreational marijuana at a campaign rally in South Carolina Thursday, and expressed skepticism about the medical usefulness of the plant when asked what he would do about drug use in the United States.

“And I say, well, because this country already pays a terrible price for the abuse of alcohol,” Mr. Rubio said at a campaign event in South Carolina. “We’re not going to outlaw alcohol. We’re not going to ban it. It’s part of our culture. It’s ingrained in our society — that’s not a realistic proposal.

Richmond County’s leading advocate for medical cannabis is taking his fight to the campaign trail.

Perry Parks — along with his cousin, Darrell Davis, who is a disabled veteran —plans to attend the Donald Trump rally in Florence, South Carolina tonight, in uniform, to ask the candidate what he plans to do to make cannabis available to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I want to see if he is aware of the disparity in treatment for the veterans,” Parks said Thursday evening. “Half the soldiers can be treated with cannabis, the other half can be arrested for it.”

COLUMBIA, SC 

South Carolina could be among the next states to legalize medical marijuana in the coming year after a state Senate subcommittee passed an initial bill on Sept. 24 allowing qualified patients to possess limited amounts of the drug.

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -

Proponents for medical marijuana believe it could soon be legal in South Carolina. Bills introduced in the State House of Representatives and the State Senate last session are currently in subcommittee and are up for discussion next session. 

An Upstate woman is pushing hard for the legislation to pass which would legalize the entirety of the marijuana plant, not just the cannibidiol oil, which was legalized last year. 

Emily McSherry suffers from a genetic blood disorder which causes her seizures. She said she tried several prescription medicines to control the seizures, but side effects included depression and suicidal thoughts. She said those severely disrupted her ability to parent and function properly. 

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton responds to a question from Roland Martin, host of TV One's News One Now, during a town hall meeting at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton proposed reclassifying marijuana to allow research into medical use of the drug, according to NewsOne.

Clinton noted that several states have legalized marijuana, and she would like to see how it works there before taking that step at the federal level.

Walk along the aisles of Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare or health food and supplement specialty stores and you’ll see hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, hemp milk and hemp oil.

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -

A dangerous form of marijuana is growing in popularity. 

"Wax" or "dabs" is a highly concentrated form of marijuana, and experts warn making it could be as dangerous as making methamphetamine. 

Cooked with butane, the marijuana forms a wax-like substance and can be smoked. The drug has a much more concentrated amount of THC - the element of marijuana that produces a high - as much as 40 percent more than a regular marijuana joint. 

"If you bought really quality marijuana you're probably getting 15 percent THC," said Carol Reeves with Greenville Family Partnership, a local drug prevention organization. "With wax you can get as much as a 60 percent concentration."

Alaska

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Alaska include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
• Nausea
• Muscle spasms
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pain
• Seizures

For a complete list of qualifying conditions and guidelines, please refer to Alaska’s application for medical marijuana registry

Arizona

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Arizona include:

Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize marijuana, but the October. 1 start date means the state has become the third state where marijuana is offered for recreational sale.

At present, only “dispensaries”-outlets which had formerly been exclusively committed to distribution of marijuana for medical uses-are permitted to sell marijuana, pending the release of a system for regulating outlets exclusively devoted to distributing marijuana for purely recreational use”.

In Madras, all three dispensaries plan on selling recreational marijuana, but city law stipulates they open no earlier than 8 a.m. Prineville, where one dispensary is located, and La Pine, with two, does not allow recreational marijuana sales.