The main author of the medical marijuana bill in the House of Representatives has appealed to critics of the measure to keep an open mind on the medicinal and beneficial use of cannabis by patients suffering from pain and other debilitating medical conditions.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, principal author of the proposed Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis, urged fellow legislators, various groups of doctors, the medical community and critics to look into the merits of his proposal and give it a chance by allowing a grand debate on the safe, controlled and beneficial use of the herbal substance to take its course.
“We advocate the legal use of medical marijuana, not to put to risk the lives and well-being of the Filipino people,” Albano said, adding the bill does not and will not promote the use of marijuana for recreational purposes.
Albano’s statement came as the House is poised to pass the bill on second reading when Congress resumes its sessions on Nov. 20.
“I urge critics of my proposed medical marijuana bill to please read word for word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph the entire content of House Bill 6517, and internalize it. The bill clearly provides that the use of medical marijuana has to comply with strict regulatory requirements under the Department of Health,” Albano said.
“By saying that the medical marijuana will be a gateway to illegal drugs or will encourage addiction, the critics of my bill obviously do not know what they are talking about,” Albano added.
Among the vocal critics of the proposed medical cannabis bill are Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza and Senator Vicente Sotto III.
Newly appointed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, however, previously said he supports the intent of Albano’s measure.
During the last 16th Congress when the bill was introduced, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines backed the proposed measure because it realized that medical marijuana will help patients who are in pain and suffering from other forms of discomfort.
Albano said it would be unfair to judge his bill and reject it outright without having thoroughly read and fully understood the content and intent of his bill.
“Once my bill gets enacted, this would mean a lot to patients who are terminally ill or afflicted with debilitating medical conditions and suffer from unimaginable pain,” Albano said.
The bill, which had already been approved at the House committee on health chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, was able to address concerns or apprehensions aired by several medical groups and other sectors who were against the bill, Albano pointed out.
“We advocate the legal use of medical marijuana to help terminally ill patients and patients with debilitating disease or medical condition for pain management considerations,” he added.
Albano said “very stringent control provisions” in the measure on the use of medical marijuana were spelled out in HB 6517 to prevent any abuse and harm patients legally allowed or authorized by doctors to use it.
“Access to [marijuana for] medical use is also very stringent because medical use of marijuana will be allowed only to patients who are terminally ill or suffering from debilitating medical conditions,” he said.
Albano’s HB 6517 provides that cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, “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, severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis.
The bill seeks to establish a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority under the Department of Health to control the medical use of cannabis in the country.
Under the measure, a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center, which will be registered with the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, 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.”
Qualifying patients will be allowed access to the use of medical marijuana only through the Center.
Another entity, to be known as the Medical Cannabis Safety Compliance Facility, shall be established to “conduct scientific and medical research on medical use of cannabis” and provide testing services for its potency, among others.