South Carolina Marijuana Policy
Ladies and gentlemen, it is no secret that Stephen Colbert is from South Carolina, and it is also no secret that Stephen Colbert has his own strain of medical marijuana out West. However, that’s about the only thing that is cool in regards to marijuana and South Carolina. Possession of more than an ounce is automatically considered trafficking? In Oregon, I can have up to 24 ounces of marijuana with my medical card…Clearly something is wrong with South Carolina’s marijuana laws. Below are the current marijuana laws in South Carolina, courtesy of South Carolina NORML:
Decriminalized? — No.
Possession of 1 oz or less (first offense) is a misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days in jail and a $100-200 fine. Diversion is possible as a substitute for jail time.
Possession of 1 oz or less (subsequent offense) is a misdemeanor, punishable by 1 year in jail and a $200-1000 fine.
Possession of 1 oz or more is considered trafficking no matter what.
Cultivation of less than 100 plants is a felony, punishable by 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cultivation of 100 to 1,000 plants is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, in addition to federal charges.
Cultivation of 1,000 to 10,000 plants is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, in addition to federal charges.
Cultivation of more than 10,000 plants is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 years in prison and a $200,000 fine in addition to federal charges.
Distributing less than 10 lbs is a felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Distributing 10 to 100 lbs is a felony, punishable by a minimum 1 year sentence but up to 5 years, and a $10,000 fine.
Distributing 100 to 2,000 lbs is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 year sentence and a $25,000 fine.
Distributing 2,000 to 10,000 lbs is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 year sentence and a $50,000 fine.
Distributing 10,000 lbs or more is a felony, punishable by a mandatory 25 year sentence and a $200,000 fine.
Distributing any amount to a minor, or within .5 miles of a school, public park, or playground is a felony, punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Possession of paraphernalia is a civil citation, punishable by a $500 fine, no jail time or criminal charge.
Medical Program? — No.
Want to help reform marijuana laws in South Carolina? Below are some good places to start, via our South Carolina activism page:
South Carolina Americans for Safe Access
https://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=266
South Carolina Marijuana Policy Project
https://www.mpp.org/states/south-carolina/
South Carolina Students for Sensible Drug Policy
https://ssdp.org/chapters/midatlantic/south-carolina
South Carolina NORML Chapters
https://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4563&wtm_view=chapter
