Listen to the doctors and South Carolina GOP: Medical marijuana has too much baggage

Nancy Mace gets it about homeless veterans

When she went to Congress, Rep. Nancy Mace said she would make it her top priority to force Washington to see the incredible challenges our nation’s veterans face every day and finally take action. I recently read an op-ed she wrote about the challenge of veteran homelessness, and I have to say I was impressed.

Plenty of politicians have said plenty of vague, pretty-sounding words. But she really gets it. She understands the unique obstacles veterans face when it comes to homelessness, between PTSD and transitioning back to civilian life after they return home. She laid out the background of the fight to end veteran homelessness at every level, both nationally and here in South Carolina.

Rather than just point fingers, she took the time to applaud the hard work which has already been done to tackle the problem. But she’s aware of all the work which still remains and how the pandemic has made the challenge much harder. She’s not going to let Congress simply declare “mission accomplished” and back out on the responsibility they have to our veterans.

I hope others in Washington join her and work to finally end veteran homelessness.

- Suzanne Milbourn, Hilton Head Island

Absolutely no to medical marijuana in South Carolina

State Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican, is a longtime advocate for legalizing marijuana in South Carolina, even though the South Carolina Medical Association stands firmly against approving marijuana for medical usage.

I am totally opposed to the legalization of THC, for medical or recreational purposes. I have been a pain specialist physician since 1969, served in the US Army (retiring as a colonel), and have worked in the Veterans Health Administration as section chief of a pain treatment clinic. I have treated both acute and chronic pain, with an emphasis on failed back surgery syndrome. I have not seen any benefits of THC in the treatment of chronic pain. In fact, the use of THC increases the doses of anesthesia needed for surgical procedures leading to possibilities of “awareness” during surgery.

Being on the Senate Medical Affairs Committee does not make Davis an expert in treating pain, or in THC either. The state medical association, along with the South Carolina GOP that puts the R he lists behind his name, are opposed to the legalization of THC for good reason. Davis should listen to the medical experts.

- Robert J. Blok, Sr., Hilton Head Island

So many questions about bridges, bike paths

Bridges — where to begin?

How about at the beginning, when the only problem was to replace the deteriorated Mackays Creek bridge span? Now, with a little help from the bureaucrats and special interests, we are considering four six-lane bridges with bike paths and benches.

That single span is still the problem, and replacing it is also the baseline cost. Every addition to that baseline needs to be analytically supported as to why needed, and then cost justified against alternative solutions. As others have pointed out numerous times, only to be ignored, the proper context also includes the entirety of Hilton Head Island traffic.

Consider a few of the many still unanswered questions: Has anybody done the cost study of building a bike path on a bridge versus on dry land? Is it worth reducing lane width by 10% on a bridge to accommodate bikes? Given the humidity, temperature and sun intensity much of the year on Hilton Head Island, shouldn’t we provide first aid stations for those willing to venture across that vast stretch of concrete?

Sorry on that last comment. I am sure the bureaucrats and special interests will find a way to plant some trees with watering systems to take the edge off the heat. To paraphrase a fellow consultant from years ago, “Does anyone remember why we started this project?”

Conversely, should future traffic growth justify the need for six-lane bridges, I suspect the South Carolina Department of Transportation could design the Mackays Creek span to improve the Bluffton Parkway merge and provide for future lane expansion at minimum cost.

- Richard Wallace, Hilton Head Island

This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 6:00 AM.