Mescher of Pinopolis introduced the bill because he has painful memories of his first wife's suffering during a losing battle with lung cancer. Mescher said he has had the issue on his mind for the past 20 years.

Based on information from doctors, Mescher believes marijuana might ease the pain and nausea from chemotherapy. South Carolina law currently won't allow the use of marijuana as a legal palliative, but Mescher hopes lawmakers will take a serious look at his bill.

"It's a benign, benevolent help for people in agony or excruciating pain," he said.

Other advocates for the therapeutic use of marijuana, including many members of the medical profession, would agree with Mescher. Critics, however, are skeptical of the claims for marijuana as a pain reliever and worry that it might open the door to unregulated use of the weed.

But the primary reason so many are unwilling to consider legitimate uses for marijuana is its long history of use as an illegal substance. Those who view marijuana as a dangerous recreational drug are reluctant to advocate its use for any purpose.

We have to assume that's the reason for blocking the use of doctor-prescribed pot for patients undergoing cancer treatments, suffering from glaucoma or other ailments that some claim are alleviated by marijuana. After all, many of those who oppose medical marijuana have no problem with the regulated use of far more addictive and potentially lethal prescription pain relievers.

Why is it OK for doctors to prescribe morphine, codeine or the other opiates and their chemical cousins but not marijuana? While many view marijuana as a social blight, scientists have decades of research on the effects of casual use, and, to date, no one has died of a lethal overdose of marijuana. If marijuana is effective at relieving pain in certain circumstances, why not add it to the list of controlled substances and prescribe it?

A variety of legal roadblocks remain. Medical marijuana is illegal in South Carolina and many other states. And, in 2005, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, used the "commerce clause" to demand that states conform to the federal standard that prohibits any use of marijuana for medical purposes. Congress could change federal law to allow states to permit the use of doctor-prescribed marijuana, but that has yet to happen.

Lawmakers at all levels, it seems, are squeamish about legalizing the use of marijuana for any reason. Why? Mainly because pot still has such a bad reputation, and Mescher and others like him will find that hard to overcome even when their motives are humane.

IN SUMMARY
Bill introduced to legalize use of medical marijuana stands little chance of passage.