Tom Davis would break the law if his child needed marijuana to ease her pain.

The Beaufort state senator admitted this to reporters during a SC Press Association legislative briefing last week.

Davis told a story about one of his constituents who did it to ease his own child’s pain.

Davis said that’s one reason state lawmakers are considering legalizing medical marijuana.

Lawmakers are beginning to recognize the medical benefits of cannabis, Davis said.

He said 70-80% of SC citizens agree that people should be allowed to use cannabis as part of their medical treatment.

“We are making our citizens into criminals” by not legalizing medical cannabis, he said.

A law passed in 2014 allows for extremely narrow access to medical cannabis for patients and their caregivers.

To legally use cannabis, patients must:

• Be diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome (also known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy) or any other form of severe, uncontrollable epilepsy.

• Be unresponsive to traditional medical therapies.

• Be certified by a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy licensed by the SC Board of Medical Examiners.

• Not possess forms of cannabis that contain less than 98% cannabidiol (CBD) or more than 0.9% tetrahydrocannibinol (THC).

The current law is vague on growing and dispensing medical cannabis, leaving patients and providers vulnerable to arrest and prosecution.