Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Advocates and opponents of medical marijuana debated its merits at a hearing on a pending measure to legalize its use in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, with the bill's author pushing for its passage with a call to "shatter" the "fear of the unknown."
At the hearing conducted by the committee on health, Isabela Representative Rodito Albano, principal author of House Bill 4477, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, which he said has so far gathered 59 co-authors, confessed to having smoked marijuana in his youth to point out that it had no adverse effect on him.
HB 4477 seeks to "provide accessible, affordable, safe medical cannabis to qualifying patients with debilitating medical condition as certified by medical doctors and approved by the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority."
"When I was in college ... gumamit ako ng marijuana, pero hindi ako nag-cocaine or shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), hindi ako naging hippie, hindi ako maging mataba dahil sa sobrang kain, gaya ng sabi nila na epekto raw (I used marijuana, but I did not do cocaine or shabu, I did not become a hippie, nor did I grow fat from overeating, which some claim is an effect)," he said at the hearing.
In fact, he claimed, his "absorptive capacity" improved, recalling when he was in first year college and engaged a professor in a debate for 30 minutes. The professor, a priest, ended up being impressed with him, Albano said.
"Hindi ko naman masabi na, 'Father, nakahithit po ako (I smoked marijuana)'," he said in jest.
Albano also said people should shun the perception that marijuana users are prone to criminality.
"When you take marijuana, everybody thinks you're a criminal, a bad guy. No, in fact the crime rate in Colorado (the US state that has legalized recreational marijuana use) decreased," Albano said.
And jokingly, he added: "Ewan ko kung bakit, baka happy silang lahat, or tulog kasi silang lahat sa umaga (I don't know why, maybe they're all happy, or asleep in the morning)."
Alabno said his father, a former lawmaker, was aware of his experiments with marijuana but was assured that he was not hooked on drugs.
"It is this fear of the unknown that we should shatter," Albano said. "We should not judge this drug yet. Let's conduct a research on it and see the beneficial effects it can give to people."
Ang Nars party-list Representative Leah Paquiz also pushed for the measure's passage, saying people should have access to a medicine that could give relief, albeit temporary, to chronic pain.
She said when her 33-year-old son was suffering pain from cancer of the pancreas, from which he died last year, morphine patches were not readily available and were also not affordable to ordinary families.
"It was hard to see a son suffering. I hope for one day when relief for their pain will be available and affordable. I hope that medical cannabis will be within reach," she said.
Romeo Quijano, a medical doctor and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of the Philippines-Manila, said a number of studies prove cannabis has therapeutic benefits and is safe.
"Mas maraming benepisyo iyong mismong halaman kaysa sa (The plant itself has more benefits than the) pure extract," he added.
Chuck Mananzala of the Medical Cannabis Research Center said a law on medical cannabis would bring the Philippines to the forefront of research in this emerging field of medicine.
"It could open the door for medical tourism too, it could really be more fun in the Philippines," he said.
"If the Pope can be so open-minded about taking one of the dangerous plants, maybe we should also open our minds about medical cannabis," Mananzala added, referring to the time when Pope Francis chewed coca leaves -- from which cocaine is made -- to treat altitude sickness during a visit to Latin America.
However, opponents of the bill, like Philippine Medical Association president Minerva Calimag, said legalizing medical marijuana would be dangerous despite regulation.
"Our children will grow up, how sure are we that we are not experimenting on our own children?" she said.
"Are we allowing the bill to be passed because we think it will improve the lives of a sector of a population who can actually avail of the drug through the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health?" she asked.
Calimag also said more evidence and studies are needed to prove the efficacy of cannabis as a drug.
"The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There will always come a time when more issues can come up (over) using the drug. Iyong ibang drugs nga na nasa market na proven effective and safe (There are some drugs already in the market and proven effective and safe), but after study in a bigger population, may side effects pala (they were found to have side effects)," she said.
Undersecretary Jose Marlowe Pedregosa of the Dangerous Drugs Board also said the bill needs more polishing as well as guarantees of strict procedures. He also noted that the bill does not actually define medical marijuana and contains sections that encourage smoking it.
The bill says the medical use of cannabis has been confirmed to have "beneficial and therapeutic uses to treat chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis."
The measure requires a licensed physician to make a complete assessment of a patient's medical history and current condition, including the appropriate diagnostic and personal physical examination sufficient to determine that the patient is suffering from a debilitating medical condition.
It also seeks the establishment of a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center, which will be registered with the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, which will be licensed to "acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, sell, supply, and dispense cannabis, paraphernalia or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients."
The Center or Medical Cannabis Safety Compliance Facilities will also be set up to implement appropriate security measures to deter and prevent the theft of cannabis and unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis; cultivate or test cannabis in an enclosed location accessible only to employees and agents; and, display registration certificates in their premises at all times.
A qualified patient will be given an identification card to certify that he or she has been allowed to use cannabis for treatment.
Qualified patients are not allowed to possess and smoke cannabis for other than medicinal purposes, or to use the medicinal cannabis in public transportation or public places.
They also cannot operate any motor vehicle, aircraft or motorboat while under the influence of cannabis, and undertake tasks that would require the use of body or motor functions impaired by the use of cannabis.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Advocates, opponents debate medical marijuana bill in House
Author: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Contact: editor@interaksyon.com
Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun
Website: InterAksyon - Philippine News Online
At the hearing conducted by the committee on health, Isabela Representative Rodito Albano, principal author of House Bill 4477, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, which he said has so far gathered 59 co-authors, confessed to having smoked marijuana in his youth to point out that it had no adverse effect on him.
HB 4477 seeks to "provide accessible, affordable, safe medical cannabis to qualifying patients with debilitating medical condition as certified by medical doctors and approved by the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority."
"When I was in college ... gumamit ako ng marijuana, pero hindi ako nag-cocaine or shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), hindi ako naging hippie, hindi ako maging mataba dahil sa sobrang kain, gaya ng sabi nila na epekto raw (I used marijuana, but I did not do cocaine or shabu, I did not become a hippie, nor did I grow fat from overeating, which some claim is an effect)," he said at the hearing.
In fact, he claimed, his "absorptive capacity" improved, recalling when he was in first year college and engaged a professor in a debate for 30 minutes. The professor, a priest, ended up being impressed with him, Albano said.
"Hindi ko naman masabi na, 'Father, nakahithit po ako (I smoked marijuana)'," he said in jest.
Albano also said people should shun the perception that marijuana users are prone to criminality.
"When you take marijuana, everybody thinks you're a criminal, a bad guy. No, in fact the crime rate in Colorado (the US state that has legalized recreational marijuana use) decreased," Albano said.
And jokingly, he added: "Ewan ko kung bakit, baka happy silang lahat, or tulog kasi silang lahat sa umaga (I don't know why, maybe they're all happy, or asleep in the morning)."
Alabno said his father, a former lawmaker, was aware of his experiments with marijuana but was assured that he was not hooked on drugs.
"It is this fear of the unknown that we should shatter," Albano said. "We should not judge this drug yet. Let's conduct a research on it and see the beneficial effects it can give to people."
Ang Nars party-list Representative Leah Paquiz also pushed for the measure's passage, saying people should have access to a medicine that could give relief, albeit temporary, to chronic pain.
She said when her 33-year-old son was suffering pain from cancer of the pancreas, from which he died last year, morphine patches were not readily available and were also not affordable to ordinary families.
"It was hard to see a son suffering. I hope for one day when relief for their pain will be available and affordable. I hope that medical cannabis will be within reach," she said.
Romeo Quijano, a medical doctor and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of the Philippines-Manila, said a number of studies prove cannabis has therapeutic benefits and is safe.
"Mas maraming benepisyo iyong mismong halaman kaysa sa (The plant itself has more benefits than the) pure extract," he added.
Chuck Mananzala of the Medical Cannabis Research Center said a law on medical cannabis would bring the Philippines to the forefront of research in this emerging field of medicine.
"It could open the door for medical tourism too, it could really be more fun in the Philippines," he said.
"If the Pope can be so open-minded about taking one of the dangerous plants, maybe we should also open our minds about medical cannabis," Mananzala added, referring to the time when Pope Francis chewed coca leaves -- from which cocaine is made -- to treat altitude sickness during a visit to Latin America.
However, opponents of the bill, like Philippine Medical Association president Minerva Calimag, said legalizing medical marijuana would be dangerous despite regulation.
"Our children will grow up, how sure are we that we are not experimenting on our own children?" she said.
"Are we allowing the bill to be passed because we think it will improve the lives of a sector of a population who can actually avail of the drug through the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health?" she asked.
Calimag also said more evidence and studies are needed to prove the efficacy of cannabis as a drug.
"The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There will always come a time when more issues can come up (over) using the drug. Iyong ibang drugs nga na nasa market na proven effective and safe (There are some drugs already in the market and proven effective and safe), but after study in a bigger population, may side effects pala (they were found to have side effects)," she said.
Undersecretary Jose Marlowe Pedregosa of the Dangerous Drugs Board also said the bill needs more polishing as well as guarantees of strict procedures. He also noted that the bill does not actually define medical marijuana and contains sections that encourage smoking it.
The bill says the medical use of cannabis has been confirmed to have "beneficial and therapeutic uses to treat chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis."
The measure requires a licensed physician to make a complete assessment of a patient's medical history and current condition, including the appropriate diagnostic and personal physical examination sufficient to determine that the patient is suffering from a debilitating medical condition.
It also seeks the establishment of a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center, which will be registered with the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, which will be licensed to "acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, sell, supply, and dispense cannabis, paraphernalia or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients."
The Center or Medical Cannabis Safety Compliance Facilities will also be set up to implement appropriate security measures to deter and prevent the theft of cannabis and unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis; cultivate or test cannabis in an enclosed location accessible only to employees and agents; and, display registration certificates in their premises at all times.
A qualified patient will be given an identification card to certify that he or she has been allowed to use cannabis for treatment.
Qualified patients are not allowed to possess and smoke cannabis for other than medicinal purposes, or to use the medicinal cannabis in public transportation or public places.
They also cannot operate any motor vehicle, aircraft or motorboat while under the influence of cannabis, and undertake tasks that would require the use of body or motor functions impaired by the use of cannabis.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Advocates, opponents debate medical marijuana bill in House
Author: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Contact: editor@interaksyon.com
Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun
Website: InterAksyon - Philippine News Online
