BENGUET Representative Ronald Cosalan expressed his full support to the medical marijuana bill provided it would bear the necessary control measures.
Cosalan pointed out how its positive use may be beneficial to the people who may want to use it medically.
"The law have already been passed in the Lower House and is now on the part of the Senate, but I have doubts if it would pass with the presence of Senator Tito Sotto who have expressed the non-passage of the law in the Upper House," he said.
Cosalan stressed that once passed, stringent control and monitoring measures must be implemented in the use of marijuana for medical purposes to assure the public that this will not be used for other purposes.
"As far as our local concern, I believe the passage of the marijuana bill in the Senate would help a lot in the Province of Benguet since the main and best source of marijuana in the whole of South East Asia are found in the try boundaries of Benguet, La Union and Ilocos area," he said.
Cosalan made an example on how the use of marijuana is being regulated in the United States.
"Unlike in the States, the production of marijuana is being dictated by the federal government. If you were ordered to produce 100 kilos which would have to be registered and planted in a specific area, then it should only be 100 kilos," Cosalan said.
He, however, expressed concern on the integrity of the country's law enforcement agencies tasked to handle the production of marijuana.
"As you know, some of our law enforcement agencies' integrity are questionable unlike in the States. Based on past experiences, the volume of marijuana produced are sometimes finding its way to another market with another purpose. This will not be beneficial for the province and for those wanting to use it for medicinal purposes," he said.