A Lowcountry lawmaker has filed a bill that would pardon 20% of South Carolinians who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession on April 20th of every year.
State Representative JA Moore (D-Berkeley) filed legislation to designate April 20 as “420 Day” in the Palmetto State and require the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon to pardon 20% of incarcerated South Carolinians who have only been convicted of simple possession of marijuana on that date every year.
“Possession of marijuana is a nonviolent offense and it’s a crime that has been enforced unjustly since its inception,” Moore said. “We need to force a conversation on this issue and that is the intention of my bill.”
Meanwhile, SC Rep. Deon Tedder (D-Charleston) is pushing for a bill where the scent of marijuana alone would not provide law enforcement with reasonable suspicion or probable cause to support a stop, search, seizure, or arrest.
