This SC congressman wants to make it painless for businesses to sell legal marijuana

Rep. Mark Sanford believes the federal government should not get in the way of states that have legalized marijuana and wants to make it easier for businesses to sell it.

The Republican congressman announced on Facebook that he co-sponsored the Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2017, a bill that would allow businesses that legally sell marijuana within a state to make the same deductions offered to other businesses.

“The principle here is simple, if a state makes something legal...it ought to be treated on par and equally with other legal businesses in the state,” he wrote Monday.

He said 28 states passed laws allowing the legal use of medical marijuana last year, but since marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, small businesses that legally sell it are not allowed to deduct business expenses.

“Whether you’re for or against the medical use of marijuana matters less than whether we really subscribe and adhere to the founders’ belief in federalism...because it was one of the key balancing tools to offsetting an overgrown and controlling federal government,” Sanford explained. “In short, even with ideas we may not like, it’s important to adhere to federalism if you believe in limiting the size of our federal government.”

Sanford represents the First District of South Carolina, which covers the “Lowcountry” part of the state, and was sworn into the 113th Congress after winning the election in May 2013.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 2:15 PM with the headline "This SC congressman wants to make it painless for businesses to sell legal marijuana."