A lawmaker on Friday asked incoming President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte to include in his priority measures the bill legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan Rep. Rodolfo D. Albano III of Isabela, author of the bill during the 16th Congress, said the bill would provide accessible, affordable and safe medical cannabis to patients with debilitating medical conditions.
Albano said he will refile the bill when 17th Congress convenes this July. He filed House Bill 4477 in the 16th Congress, but it was not acted upon.
Under the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis bill, there shall be legalized and regulated use of cannabis for medical purposes. It establishes under the Department of Health a Medical Cannabis Regulatory that will regulate cannabis’s medical use.
The authority shall issue registered identification cards to qualified patients after a careful review of the documents required by the authority and included in the implementing rules and regulations of this Act.
An entity shall operate as a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center (MCCC) after approval of its application and registration with the authority.
The MCCC shall guarantee the appropriate dispensation of cannabis and shall not release more than the prescribed dosage for one month to a registered qualified patient or designated caregiver.
“I have high hopes under the Duterte administration that this measure would be enacted into law. Finally, there is hope for our people, especially our children, who suffer from medical conditions, like epilepsy, cancer and multiple sclerosis,” Albano said in a news statement.
Duterte was earlier quoted as saying in media reports that he will support the medical marijuana proposal.
“Medical marijuana, yes, because it is really an ingredient of modern medicine now. There are medicines right now being developed or already in the market that [contain] marijuana as a component but used for medical purposes,” Duterte said.
Moreover, Albano said marijuana “has been confirmed to have beneficial and therapeutic uses to treat chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition.”
“These include cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy; and severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis,” Albano, Duterte’s party mate, said.
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Why should you want legal Medical marijuana? These will help fill you in!
“Marijuana’s Active Ingredient Shown to Inhibit Primary Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease” (Scrippsedu), “Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows” (ScienceDaily), “An Ingredient of Pot May Help People with Epilepsy” (Scientific American), “Lab Notes: Pot Has Benefits for Diabetic Hearts” (MedPageToday), “14 of 15 MS patients show clinical improvement with cannabis consumption” (Examiner), “Marijuana Slims? Why Pot Smokers Are Less Obese” (TIME), “Cannabis for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease treatment” (NewsMedicalNet), How
MEDlCAL MARlJUANA’s Chemicals May Protect Cells” (Scientific American), “Cannabis to lower blood pressure! (NewsMedicalNet), and “Marijuana use associated with lower death rates in patients with traumatic brain injuries” (eurekalert).
Pretty good for a plant that you can grow at almost no cost in your garden!