SCBC LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Good news this week from the State House.  H4624 (Do No Harm) made it to the Senate floor.  The Senate gave the bill second reading and began debate before having to adjourn so many of the members could attend a Judiciary Committee meeting.

The bill will be taken up again today and after what could be a lengthy debate, it will likely pass. It was slightly modified as it made its way through the Senate committee process, so it will have to go back to the House for final passage.  The House could refuse to concur with the modified Senate version ,forcing a conference committee but all my contacts in the House tell me they are ready to pass Do No Harm on the Governor for his approval. 

Yesterday, an Ad Hoc Committee comprised of members of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee heard public testimony on the Compassionate Care Act (medical marijuana).  Last week, law enforcement and members of the medical community from across the state offered testimony.  In my testimony before the Committee, I shared information from a 4-year study (2016-2020) involving 450,000 people representing a cross-section of the U.S. population.  The results revealed links between any amount of marijuana use and significant risk of heart attack, stroke, and coronary artery disease.  You can read a copy of the report from Science Daily here:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240228115352.htm

I also shared the “Be it Resolved” section of the 2018 SCBC resolution against medical marijuana passed at the 2018 South Carolina Baptist Convention meeting in North Charleston.  The resolved section begins, “We the messengers are opposed to the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana.”  You can read the entire resolution here:

https://baptistcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-SCBC-resolutions-report.pdf

The 2024 Legislative Session will end next Thursday.  That leaves little time for the Compassionate Care Act to make it through the committee process and be brought to the floor.  We are praying that it will not pass this session meaning it will have to start the entire process over when the 2025 session begins. 

Thank you for your prayers and for the contacts you are making with our lawmakers.  When you talk to them, please remember to ask them how you can pray for them and pray over them and their families. 

He must increase, I must decrease,

Dr. Tony Beam

Policy Consultant

The South Carolina Baptist Convention