Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Should medical marijuana be legalized in the Philippines?
This was the question that several law students from two universities in the country tried to answer on Tuesday (June 9) during a Law and Policy Debate at the House of Representatives.
Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, a medical and law expert, recognized the need for public discussions on the legalization of marijuana.
He noted that debating on a topic is a healthy method of testing ideas and proposal, and "a good way by which the legislative process can be vetted with various ideas being exchanged."
Dr. Junice L.D. Melgar, executive director of the Likhaan Center for Women's Health, agreed with Teehankee and explained that marijuana has several medical uses.
According to Melgar, marijuana can stop epileptic seizures and can help treat neuropathic diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. It can also treat loss of appetite after chemotherapy or following treatment for HIV or AIDS.
She also mentioned that marijuana has side effects like the alteration of moods. In fact, among psychotropic drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, marijuana is the most potent, Melgar added.
The doctor said that there are no reports of any deaths caused by toxicity or the intake of cannabis.
Melgar also stressed the importance of being informed about marijuana and its uses.
"Even for small part, if we don’t give them space for public discussion — for people to be enlightened about it — we will forever be ignorant."
Opposed by PDEA
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), on the other hand, has continued to oppose the legalization of marijuana.
Director General Arturo Cacdac, PDEA chief, said that there is a need to first resolve the issue of how the government would be able to regulate marijuana plantations to ensure that it would not be abused.
Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, meanwhile, acknowledged Cacdac's concern — saying that there really is a need to ensure that the country is capable of regulating marijuana production and distribution.
"Kailangan talaga mapakita from our med prac margining opinion ng mga magulang, pero para sa akin, kaya ba natin iimplmeneta ang batas na ito na di maaabuso," Poe said.
[Translation: "Medical practitioners should show us the margining opinions of parents on the matter, but for me, the question is: 'Can we really implement this law without any abuse?'"]
Pending bill
Amid debates on the matter, there is actually pending bill at the lower chamber, which aims to legalize the compassionate use of marijuana.
But since it was filed in May 2014, no committee hearing has been held on the bill at the lower chamber.
Bill co-author Rep. Leah Paquiz appealed to her colleagues to take a look at the draft bill.
"We are at this stage, we have Filipinos who need care, we should give them compassionate care — this medical cannabis. There are a lot of medicines, but they are expensive," Paquiz said.
According to Paquiz, around 70 lawmakers already signed the bill as co-authors. But as the 16th Congress nears its end, the fate of the bill has turned grim.
Sa Mga taong hindi pa nakakatry here's my two cents, I am a Legal medical marijuana user here in California and I use it for insomnia and I can guarantee you that I have not experienced "praning" high. Don't just assume that because someone smoked shabu and or cocaine that it was the marijuana that caused all of the craziness you know about Marijuana. I assume you have heard barilan, at saksakan dahil sa pag a away ng Mga Lasing, Kasi they have poor judgement BECAUSE OF ALCOHOL and they're actions depends on the mood they were in. But you will almost never hear real cases of violence caused by people under the influence of marijuana, unless they were already a violent person or maybe didn't even smoked marijuana but "Shabu".
ReplyDeleteAnyways. I hope if you see me smiling after I just smoked a joint, im smiling because of the euphoric effect but that doesnt mean that I am "praning". I can tell you now from my experience (so if you havent tried, then u better shut the hell u) that even though I am considered just a pothead by some ignorant hypocrit corrupt misinformed/uneducated yet some that are just too religious and conservative that they think I am bad and stupid and lazy but i am not, (like many Filipinos abroad I help MOST of my Family) and these people are so dumb or curropt and again "ignorant" to consider the beneficial effect of medical cannabis as an alternative drug of use for migraine, insomnia and loss of appetite, considering some canabinoids and thc found in marijuana has lots of beneficial effect for depression and even seizures and cancer.
KUNG MAKAPAGSALITA KYO NA WAG ILEGALIZED ANG MARIAJUANA, as if u do care about sari sari stores in the philippines selling alcohol and cigarettes to childen, when even a minor can easily buy an alcohol? Why buy "softdrink" and give it to your friends and family where everybody knows it can cause obesity that leads to several diseases like diabetes that can easily kill you? Why not send to prison those people that actually sold the alcohol to the person that shot his kumpare because they were drunk, and or the husbands that beats up his wife and kids when drunk? Alcohol, YOU know has no beneficial effect at all, so I hope you don't drink it while you strongly condemn marijuana. Even I don't usually drink alcohol since I don't really like the feeling of being drunk and stupid, it also just gives me hang over and possibly ulcer and liver disease which i dont need. Cigarette, kailangan ko pa bang sabihin kung bakit dapat ipagbawal din to?
ON THE OTHER HAND, KUNG ANG TAMAD EH HAHAYAAN MONG MAGCHONGKE KAHIT NA HINDI NAMAN NYA KAILANGAN, EH THAT WOULD BE THE PROBLEM, BUT MAKING IT ILLEGAL JUST MAKES IT HARD FOR PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEEDS IT. and also, if a person has mental illness, they shouldnt be allowed to drink alcohol, and also marijuana... NOW, TELL ME? and tell; me based on your experience!!!
maraming salamat po
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