MANILA – Proponents of medical cannabis have again made a push for the legalization of the medical use of marijuana, this time seeking the help of no less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
Dr. Donnabel Cunanan, member of the Philippine Cannabis Compassion Society (PCCS) executive committee, said they have been waiting for the passage of House Bill No. 180 or the Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.
"Halos mag-aapat na taon na din kaming nag-aantay… Madami-dami na din sa myembro namin ang namatay at madami pa din ang patuloy na umaasa, lalo na ako, para sa aking anak na si Julia at sa mga pasyente namin sa PCCS (We have been waiting for nearly four years… A lot of our members have already died but a lot more are hoping, especially me, for my daughter Julia and our other patients in PCCS)," Cunanan said in an interview with the media over the weekend.
She cited that almost 50 have died, mostly children who had intractable epilepsy, where a patient’s seizures could not be controlled by treatment, as in the case of her daughter.
“Most of them died because of the side effects of their medicines… Those who have died were children below seven years old,” she said.
Cunanan emphasized they are not advocating for the legalization of the use of marijuana in raw form.
“What we are advocating for is the use of the whole plant to be processed into pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis in finished dosage form, such as cannabis oil extract, tincture, suppositories, capsules, pills, spray, and topicals. However, it should be noted that the raw form of cannabis is the source of the extract, and not to be handed to patients as consumable or end-product,” she explained.
The physician added that several medical anecdotes show that marijuana is capable of treating cancer, multiple sclerosis, pain, and glaucoma, apart from epilepsy.
According to House Bill No. 180, introduced by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III in June last year, thousands of patients suffering from serious and debilitating diseases stand to benefit from legalizing the medical use of cannabis.
In his explanatory note, Albano said the bill aims to give a patient “access to safe, affordable, available medical cannabis prescribed by a registered physician in cases where cannabis has been found to be effective in prevention, treatment and management of specified symptoms, illnesses and diseases.”
He added that the Act “should not be deemed in any manner to advocate, authorize, promote, or legally or socially accept the use of cannabis or marijuana for any non-medical use.”
In a recent post in the PCCS Facebook account, the group asked Duterte to make good on his word that he will not deprive the Filipinos of the medical benefits of cannabis.
While campaigning for the presidency last year, Duterte said he had heard about the effectiveness of medical marijuana and that he wants a clear definition of what it is. He, however, said that its use must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that only those who truly need it should avail of it.
"Lubos kaming umaasa na totohanin niya ito na maisakatuparan sa kanyang administrasyon (We are truly hopeful that this would be realized during his administration)," said Cunanan. (PNA)
