Here’s a little nugget for those following our state’s debate over pot policy.
For a piece this week about renewed attention to medical marijuana here, we talked to Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis who said that while he’s personally open to the idea, he thought it would likely face opposition from some of his GOP colleagues in the Senate, particularly in the socially conservative Upstate.
Well, one of those Upstate Republican senators got back to us last night. Kevin Bryant, who represents Anderson County and is pharmacist by trade, had this to say about medicinal cannabis:
By all means, if someone’s dying of cancer I’m for giving them whatever will make them feel comfortable.
I would be willing to take a look at the debate.
Bryant went on to say that he does have some worries about users abusing marijuana should it become more available. But he also has issues with the government telling people what they can and can’t do.
“I do remain on the side of recreational use [being] outlawed, but you know, you can’t outlaw stupid,” he says.
As a pharmacist, Bryant says he knows of a prescription drug called Marinol, a synthetic formula that mimics some of the properties of marijuana, but he says it can be expensive.
“I’m not convinced that the Marinol is not adequate,” he says, but adds he’s also heard smoking pot can relieve pain and suffering in some patients.
“I think if it’s limited to terminal patients, I don’t think anyone would want to deny a terminal patient with whatever there is out there to make them feel comfortable,” Bryant says. Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.