SC Law Enforcement's Self-Defeating Attitude on Medical Cannabis
Denying medical cannabis is a bad fight to pick for law enforcement — and Republicans
Six days ago I received an email from the South Carolina Republican Party — not that I would have known until I scrolled down to the bottom to see the “paid for by” disclaimer. The email was written by Kevin Tolson, South Carolina Sheriffs Association President and sheriff of York County, just on our state’s side of the border from Charlotte. The message informed recipients that there was a bill “trying to legalize ‘medical’ marijuana in South Carolina.” Sheriff Tolson declined to provide the bill number, specifics about the bill, or inform us who the bill’s sponsor was. He simply wanted us to know that “law enforcement [is] against legalizing ‘medical’ marijuana.”
There’s a lot to unpack here, and before I go further I just want to acknowledge that many of my readers do not live in South Carolina. However, I would venture to guess that most of you consider yourselves conservatives, and many are likely active in Republican politics. The specifics of this article apply to my state, where this battle is currently taking place. The prohibitionist attitude on this subject, however, applies to a varying percentage of conservatives nationwide — as do the challenges it causes for us. I’d urge you to keep reading regardless of marijuana’s legal status where you live, because public perception of our views on marijuana is a serious roadblock for our ability to reach young people, racial minorities, and independents.
There was plenty about this correspondence that I found jarring, but perhaps the most upsetting thing about it was that the state party found it appropriate to send out this email lambasting legislation introduced by a Republican, and co-sponsored by several others. The bill was introduced by Senator Tom Davis of Beaufort, a bulwark of limited government and fiscal responsibility in our state since his election to the Senate in 2008. Sure, I am all for holding members of our party accountable when they stray too far from conservative principles, but someone at the Columbia office legitimately thought this, of all things, was the fight to pick. Rarely do we see the same zeal in the name of stopping new taxes and spending.
As I’m writing this, Senator Davis’ bill is up for debate tomorrow, and in the spirit of civil discourse, I’d like to tackle some of the points that Sheriff Tolson raises in his email. Perhaps the most tone-deaf statement of all was that “this is the only instance where legislators are trying to dictate what medicine is.” I’ll give the sheriff that in the case of duly-elected legislators, this is true. However, since COVID’s inception, appointed bureaucrats throughout the United States who sit on state medical licensing boards have made it their mission to dictate what medicine is, and to rob the licenses and dignity of those who question them. Doesn’t this statement seem a little ironic after the last two years that conservatives have spent fighting for medical freedom? I’ve never taken hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat COVID, just like I’ve never taken marijuana to treat any of the medical conditions the bill permits its use for. I’m also not a doctor. I know very little about what constitutes good treatment for most medical conditions, as does Sheriff Tolson. Shouldn’t these questions be left to individual doctors and their patients? I find it extremely hypocritical to cherry-pick which instances we believe this relationship should be free of government intervention.
On marijuana’s federal status, the sheriff writes:
“Since marijuana remains federally illegal, marijuana-based companies largely operate in cash only. So, these businesses are far more susceptible to armed robberies. And collecting and remitting taxes based on proceeds that stem from the sale of federally illegal products becomes problematic.”
Again, we must bring this back to a principled argument. Do we believe in the 10th Amendment, or do we believe that deciding controlled substance policy is the job of the federal government? As conservatives, we certainly don’t respect the federal government’s claim to the right to decide our firearms policy. Our state government showed that just last year when we became a 2nd Amendment sanctuary state. The states that have legalized marijuana in any capacity are simply exercising the same right that we did against a federal government that serially oversteps its constitutionally-defined role.
Of course, even if marijuana were not federally-regulated, the South Carolina Sheriffs Association and the South Carolina Republican Party would likely still have the same stance. This presents a huge public image problem for both organizations. 91% of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana, including 87% of Republicans. Joe Biden and the Democrats are simply trying to hand the 2022 election to the GOP. Now is certainly not the time to tell the massive swaths of voters thinking about giving us a chance that we’re the party that opposes medical marijuana. Senator Davis and his Republican co-sponsors are making the case that we are the party that consistently stands for medical freedom. That’s who independents want to vote for.
Sheriff Tolson closes out by pleading that “In a time where law enforcement officers are facing more hatred, mistrust, and even threats to defund and get rid of us, we need support now more than ever.”
We do support our law enforcement officers, Sheriff Tolson. We want to put a stop to that hatred and mistrust, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to not force you to stand between citizens and the medical treatment they choose. We want to set you free to protect and serve by focusing your attention on stopping real crimes with real victims, instead of having to divert time, money, and resources into enforcement of this type of unnecessary and ugly prohibition.
You can follow Senator Davis on Twitter and watch the Senate debate S 150 tomorrow (1/26). If you are a South Carolinian, please consider calling your Senator and encouraging them to vote in favor. If you don’t know their contact information, you can find it here.
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-Brady