GOP Rep. Nancy Mace's cannabis decriminalization bill is personal

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced legislation that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and give states control over cannabis laws and regulations.

Speaking to Fox News about the bill, named the States Reform Act, Mace discussed her previous work on cannabis reform through the state House in South Carolina. Mace pointed to her support of the state’s Compassionate Care Act, which would allow people with illnesses such as cancer or glaucoma to use non-smokable forms of pot.

Republican congressional candidate Nancy Mace speaks to the crowd at an event with Sen. Lindsey Graham. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Mace insisted Republicans are leading efforts across the country to pass cannabis reform and said the issue is “personal” for her after she turned to cannabis following a traumatic event in her life at a young age.

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“I shared that I was raped,” Mace told Fox News, describing the “physical, mental, and emotional” trauma she suffered from that event, which caused her to be prescribed anti-depressant medications. According to Mace, that medication worsened her “emotion and feelings of depression” and she turned to cannabis for relief.

“I did cannabis when I was going through this,” Mace said. “Doing that really relieved some of the anxiety that I had and helped me get through some very tough times in my life. It was an extraordinarily difficult place for me to be. My world fell apart when that happened to me.”

Mace says she can “feel it in my heart” when she hears similar stories from other people, including veterans who suffer from PTSD.

“I feel that pain because I’ve been through similar pain,” she said, referencing the “silent victims who don’t have a way out.”