Cannabis in South Carolina: lounges, dispensaries & laws
In South Carolina, only CBD / low-THC products are permitted. Medical possession: no conventional medical marijuana program exists. Under Julian's Law (2014, S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 44-53-110(27)(b)(vi)) a patient with a written physician certification for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, or another severe form of epilepsy not adequately treated by traditional therapies may possess a cannabidiol extract containing 0.9 percent or less THC and more than 15 percent CBD. No specific quantity cap is stated in the statute. Whole-plant marijuana, flower, and conventional THC products remain illegal for all patients.
Can you legally consume on site in South Carolina?
Not permitted
No. South Carolina does not permit cannabis consumption lounges, cannabis cafes, social-consumption venues, or hospitality licenses of any kind. There is no legal framework to license them because the state has no adult-use market and no conventional medical market - only a narrow CBD-only exception for severe epilepsy. No licensing authority, application process, or pilot program for on-site consumption exists at either the state or municipal level, and no municipality has authority to opt in. Any venue in South Carolina advertising itself as a 'lounge' is operating in the unregulated hemp-derived cannabinoid space, not under a state cannabis license; that is a legally distinct and far less settled category. There are no state-licensed operating venues to name.
South Carolina cannabis laws at a glance
- Legal status
- CBD / Low-THC Only
- Medical since
- 2014
- Medical possession
- No conventional medical marijuana program exists. Under Julian's Law (2014, S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 44-53-110(27)(b)(vi)) a patient with a written physician certification for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, or another severe form of epilepsy not adequately treated by traditional therapies may possess a cannabidiol extract containing 0.9 percent or less THC and more than 15 percent CBD. No specific quantity cap is stated in the statute. Whole-plant marijuana, flower, and conventional THC products remain illegal for all patients.
- Purchase limit
- N/A - there are no licensed cannabis dispensaries or legal retail cannabis sales of any kind in South Carolina. The CBD law provides no in-state licensed supply chain.
- Home cultivation
- Prohibited entirely, for both recreational and medical purposes, with no exceptions. Cultivation is charged as manufacturing under S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 44-53-370; per NORML, penalties run from up to 5 years for fewer than 100 plants up to a mandatory 25-year sentence for 100 or more plants.
- Public consumption
- There is no lawful consumption of marijuana anywhere in South Carolina - public or private - so there is no separate public-use offense. Consuming in public simply exposes you to the underlying possession charge: simple possession of one ounce or less is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $200 fine for a first offense, and up to 1 year and $2,000 for a subsequent offense. Possession of more than one ounce is a felony (up to 5 years, $5,000 first offense). Paraphernalia possession is a civil citation with a fine up to $500. South Carolina also still has a marijuana tax-stamp law that can add charges.
- Out-of-state medical cards
- No. South Carolina does not recognize or honor out-of-state medical marijuana cards. A valid patient card from any other state provides no legal protection and is not a defense to a possession charge in South Carolina.
- Qualifying conditions
- Extremely narrow - the narrowest in the country. Only three qualifying conditions, all epilepsy-related: Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome (severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy), and any other severe form of epilepsy not adequately treated by traditional medical therapies. Conditions common in other states (chronic pain, PTSD, cancer, MS, glaucoma) do NOT qualify in South Carolina.
No listings in South Carolina yet
We have not verified any cannabis businesses in South Carolina so far. If you run a lounge, dispensary or shop here, you can put your city on the map.
Cities in South Carolina
Visiting South Carolina
Treat South Carolina as a fully prohibition state: there is nowhere in the state - no lounge, no dispensary, no hotel, no rental, no private residence - where consuming marijuana is legal, so a visitor has no lawful option at all, and an out-of-state medical card is worthless here. Enforcement is not merely theoretical; MPP reports South Carolina has one of the nation's highest cannabis arrest rates at roughly 204 per 100,000 residents, and even paraphernalia alone draws a citation up to $500. Be especially careful driving through on I-95, I-26, or I-85 between legal states, since interstate traffic stops are where most visitors get charged, and do not assume a hemp shop selling Delta-8 or THCA flower means possession of that product is safe - the hemp-derived cannabinoid market here is unsettled and buying from a store is not a legal defense if the product tests over the hemp THC threshold.
What changed recently
Still no legalization as of July 2026. Sen. Tom Davis's Compassionate Care Act (S.53) - which would create a conservative medical program with physician authorization, licensed cultivation and processing, and pharmacist dispensing - was prefiled December 11, 2024, referred to the Senate Committee on Medical Affairs, and never advanced; per MPP the General Assembly recessed May 14, 2026 without holding hearings on cannabis legislation. Prior versions passed the Senate twice but died in the House both times. A separate decriminalization bill, H.3110, which would have swapped criminal penalties for civil fines, received no hearing in the 2025-2026 session. MPP reports that federal cannabis rescheduling has renewed attention to South Carolina's dormant 1980 therapeutic-research statute and that Davis is expected to reintroduce medical legislation in 2027 - that rescheduling-trigger theory is a legislative argument, not settled law, and has not changed what is legal on the ground.
South Carolina cannabis questions
Is cannabis legal in South Carolina?
Only CBD / low-THC products are permitted as of 2026-07-19.
Can you smoke in public in South Carolina?
There is no lawful consumption of marijuana anywhere in South Carolina - public or private - so there is no separate public-use offense. Consuming in public simply exposes you to the underlying possession charge: simple possession of one ounce or less is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $200 fine for a first offense, and up to 1 year and $2,000 for a subsequent offense. Possession of more than one ounce is a felony (up to 5 years, $5,000 first offense). Paraphernalia possession is a civil citation with a fine up to $500. South Carolina also still has a marijuana tax-stamp law that can add charges.
Are there cannabis lounges in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina does not permit cannabis consumption lounges, cannabis cafes, social-consumption venues, or hospitality licenses of any kind. There is no legal framework to license them because the state has no adult-use market and no conventional medical market - only a narrow CBD-only exception for severe epilepsy. No licensing authority, application process, or pilot program for on-site consumption exists at either the state or municipal level, and no municipality has authority to opt in. Any venue in South Carolina advertising itself as a 'lounge' is operating in the unregulated hemp-derived cannabinoid space, not under a state cannabis license; that is a legally distinct and far less settled category. There are no state-licensed operating venues to name.
Can you grow cannabis at home in South Carolina?
Prohibited entirely, for both recreational and medical purposes, with no exceptions. Cultivation is charged as manufacturing under S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 44-53-370; per NORML, penalties run from up to 5 years for fewer than 100 plants up to a mandatory 25-year sentence for 100 or more plants.
Does South Carolina accept out-of-state medical marijuana cards?
No. South Carolina does not recognize or honor out-of-state medical marijuana cards. A valid patient card from any other state provides no legal protection and is not a defense to a possession charge in South Carolina.