TO WHAT extent would the National Government control the cultivation and distribution of marijuana if it were to legalize the medical use of the drug?
The question was raised by Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO) chief Carmen Remedios Durano-Meca following the approval on third and final reading of House Bill 6517, or the Act Providing Compassionate and Right of Access to Medical Cannabis and Expanding Research into its Medicinal Properties and for Other Purposes last Jan. 29.
In an interview Friday, Feb. 1, Meca stressed that while she has no qualms about allowing the medical use of marijuana, lawmakers should consider regulating the cultivation of the plant to avoid abuse.
“If the cultivation itself will be regulated, of course, for medical reasons, I am for it. But the question is, how do you control that it will not be abused? For me, it has to have an in-depth study if this is applicable in the Philippine setting (to legalize marijuana.)When we say medical, I think it should have an in-depth study as to what extent is the basis for the legalization. We all know that here in the Philippine setting that marijuana has been abused in a sense that it is like alternative to shabu,” she said.
Records from CPADAO reveal that the Cebu Provincial Police Office confiscated around 440,825 grams of marijuana with a street value of P24.2 million last year.
This is 305,897 grams more and P16.8-million higher than what authorities were able to confiscate in 2017.
Meca lamented that even now, the proliferation of cannabis remains prevalent since Cebu’s topography makes it ideal to grow the plant.
“Majority of Cebu Province is composed of mountain areas, so how do we control it if it is legalized? It is accessible anywhere. How would we control it when even now, anywhere there is a marijuana plantation and we will know only know if someone will report about it. If it is legalized, how do we control it in terms of the production of the plant itself?” she said.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rene Catan, for his part, supports the measure.
“I’m sure the National Government will issue guidelines with the advent of more developments in the usage of marijuana as part of treatment protocol for pain management, chronic conditions or even those that are terminally ill. There are a lot of studies that show its beneficial effects, like moving them towards better quality of life. On the issue of it being addictive, yes because just like alcohol and tobacco, it triggers the release of endorphins which makes you feel good,” he said.
But like Meca, Catan said the government should have tighter regulating rules to avoid abuse.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 said on Friday, Feb. 1, its mother unit is conducting its own research on medical cannabis.
Leia Albiar-Alcantara, PDEA 7 information officer, said the experts from the national headquarters want to explore the characteristics of the chemicals found in marijuana.
PDEA, she said, has been collaborating with the experts from the Department of Health through the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care, University of the Philippines-College of Medicine and University of Santo Tomas-College of Medicine.
Alcantara said the research is necessary to ensure that proper mechanisms will be created and put in place to properly control the use of marijuana in treatment of illnesses.
Alcantara said the bill specifies that only licensed hospitals, facilities, and doctors and qualified medical cannabis patients can have access to medical cannabis.
“The use of cannabis in its raw form is not allowed,” she said. “The bill specifies that the use of cannabis for purposes other than treatment of a debilitating medical condition is illegal and a punishable offense. If this is passed into law, PDEA will not think twice about arresting violators.”
Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, included marijuana as one of the dangerous drugs.
Under RA 9165, Alcantara said culture, cultivation, sale, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, transportation, and use of cannabis is illegal and a punishable offense.
House Bill 6517 seeks the creation of the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center (MCCC) which will be licensed with the Department of Health.
The Compassionate Center will acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, sell, supply and dispense cannabis to registered qualified patients.
The MCCC will keep and maintain confidential records of the patient including the dispensation of cannabis and prescribed dosage. (with Joyce Villaflor, Asst. Content Editor)