The South Carolina House of Representatives on May 4, at the behest of our state’s leaders, opted to strike down what is technically a medical marijuana bill. This was despite the fact that the bill enjoyed widespread popular support and was the most conservative medical marijuana law in the country.
Our leaders have shown time and again that we have to keep pace with the times and reality. This bill is no different. Far from taking a piecemeal approach to the issue, South Carolina needs leaders ready to harness marijuana’s full economic potential. We need full legalization for recreational purposes and completely pardoning those convicted of marijuana offenses.
This is the reason why this red state will benefit from being green. Marijuana is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Sales of adult-use and medical marijuana products will reach $25 billion in 2021 and could reach $100 billion by 2030. According to US News & World Report, eighteen states have legalized cannabis for adult use. This includes rock-solid Conservative states such as South Dakota and Alaska.
States that have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes have seen strong finances and job growth. Nevada estimates that the industry will create 41,000 more jobs and generate more than $1.7 billion in labor income, according to the 2020 Review of Marijuana’s Economic Growth. California estimates that its total labor income from marijuana sales and cultivation will top billions as state coffers overflow with revenue. In Colorado, $40 million of marijuana tax revenue went to public school construction, while $105 million went to housing programs, mental health programs, and health programs. Overall, states that have legalized marijuana are flushing in revenue to spend on their populations.
The whole country is going in that direction. The vast majority of the US population supports marijuana legalization for medical and recreational uses. Even Republican states such as Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas have widespread support for legalizing marijuana.
Imagine our very own Marijuana Green New Deal in South Carolina. Our state could use the money to fully fund the police, provide money for struggling rural schools, or give more tax cuts to small businesses. We can also focus our police forces on prioritizing more serious crimes and on our opioid crisis. It would also allow businesses to train and hire a subset of people convicted of marijuana. Expanding the pool of available labor makes economic sense given our current labor crisis.
Although the country is rapidly moving toward marijuana legalization, South Carolina has moved in the opposite direction over the past 10 years. According to media reports, as of 2020, South Carolina had the second highest arrest rate in the country for marijuana possession, as well as the growing racial disparity in these arrests. Seven South Carolina counties were ranked among the top 20 counties nationally for marijuana arrests. Darlington County’s marijuana arrest rate ranks fifth in the nation. Marion County ranks seventh out of more than 3,000 counties across the United States. These arrests represent millions in state taxpayer dollars for arrests, incarcerations, judges, juries, and court systems. According to the Center for American Progress, arresting people for marijuana possession costs the United States $2 billion to $6 billion annually.
State leaders’ arguments against marijuana legalization range from outdated to out of sync with today’s South Carolina and today’s America. SC Attorney General Alan Wilson called marijuana our most dangerous drug, despite the fact that only a few hundred people, if any, have ever died from a marijuana overdose. However, hundreds of thousands of people die because of alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs, all of which are very legal and can be more dangerous.
There are apprehensions that legalization will lead to an increase in crime, but this is unfounded. A study by the Libertarian-leaning CATO Institute found that marijuana legalization did not increase or decrease crime dramatically in the states where it was enforced. In fact, data from the US Border Patrol shows marijuana seizures have fallen by millions of pounds and are at their lowest level in a decade. Marijuana legalization across the country has caused billions of dollars in illegal sales to Mexican cartels, and South Carolina can help. Other South Carolina leaders are waiting for the FDA or the federal government to take action, but how long has South Carolina waited?
During COVID-19, the same people who were arguing for us to wait for the federal government to make a decision were the leaders fighting against federal government directives at the national level. South Carolina’s entire history has been of going against the grain. We don’t need to wait for the federal government to tell us what we already know: The war on weed is over. Weed won. Now is the time to capitalize on that reality. Where other states fail to bridge the gap between practicality and economic opportunity, South Carolina can go the extra mile.
Chris Richardson is an immigration lawyer and former US diplomat from James Island. He practices across the country.
