BUHAY Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza said Congress made a mistake in allowing the medical use of marijuana.
The veteran lawmaker held a press conference with Human Life International-Philippines director Rene Josef Bullecer in Cebu City on Thursday, Feb. 7.
For Atienza, marijuana can destroy its users. “Why should we allow the Philippines to take the direction of legalizing recreational marijuana that would destroy the future of the young? Marijuana destroys the person’s mindset. Marijuana affects the thinking of the person.
Marijuana is destructive,” he said. Atienza warned that legalizing medical marijuana will lead to the expansion of marijuana’s cultivation. “What will happen to the Philippines? We don’t have enough rice as it is.
If it becomes legal, our farmers might end up cultivating marijuana instead of planting rice,” he said.
For his part, Bullecer said there is a report that states that Cebu ranks first in the supply of high-grade marijuana in the country.
He said several persons plant marijuana in Dalaguete, Balamban, Danao City and Tuburan. Voting 163 in favor, 5 against, with 3 abstentions, the House of Representatives approved House Bill 6517, or the “Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.”
The bill states that medical cannabis shall only be accessed through the hospitals duly licensed by the Department of Health to distribute marijuana, and only those who have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition can avail themselves of it. (Jolissa Mae Taboada, USJ-R Intern, KAL)