PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Northern Mindanao Director Wilkins Villanueva has opposed the proposal to decriminalize drug addiction, saying it will only end up increasing the supply of illegal drugs in the country.
Villanueva said decriminalizing drug addiction and treating it as a medical problem will only sway drug users to become dependent on it which, in turn, will increase the demand and supply of dangerous drugs.
Judge Arthur Abundiente of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 25 in Cagayan de Oro City, for his part, agreed with Villanueva, saying this will defeat one of the purposes of the anti-narcotics agency -- to minimize, if not totally eradicate, drug addiction and drug supply.
"Once there are people who will buy, there will always be people who will sell. Once there is a demand, there will always be a supply to cater that particular demand," Abundiente said.
"There must be a punishment for the users because of the consequence and because of the possibility on its effect on the supply nga mo proliferate lang gyapon," he added.
The top anti-narcotics agent in the region said drug addiction is not a hopeless case as over 30,000 people have already been rehabilitated through the PDEA's intervention programs.
"These people are supposedly pwedeng gumawa ng krimen. We took away more than 30,000 from committing a crime by giving them necessary intervention program," Villanueva said.
"Di pa tayo hopeless. We are winning the war on drugs," he added.
Villenueva also hopes that the continuous barangay drug clearing program will help solve the drug problem in the region.