Gov. Nikki Haley has signed into law a bill allowing people in South Carolina with severe epilepsy to use CBD oil, which comes from the marijuana plant, as a treatment option. The oil must be prescribed by a doctor.
CBD oil, also known as cannabis oil or cannabidiol, has almost none of the mind-altering substance in marijuana.
Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill that eventually became law, says, "The young girl that inspired me to file this bill, a 6-year-old named Mary Louise Swing in Charleston, has up to 150 seizures an hour, and with medication, conventional pharmaceutical medication, that gets knocked down to about 30-40 a day. But with CBD oil, anecdotal evidence is and others have gotten relief where the pharmaceuticals don't provide it. So we're talking about changing some lives in South Carolina, so it's a really great day."
The bill took effect as soon as the governor signed it Monday, but since CBD oil has been illegal it's not immediately available in the state. The law also creates a study committee to make recommendations for how to grow the plants here and dispense the CBD oil.