FORMER Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte remained upbeat that the 20th Congress would eventually ratify his proposed law on medical marijuana (cannabis).
Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party, expressed his optimism on the measure following reports that Senator Robinhood Padilla has refiled the measure.
The ex-Camarines Sur legislator was the lead author of the medical cannabis bill in the three previous sessions of Congress.
“With Sen. Robin (Padilla) refiling his version of this measure, I have high hopes that the medical cannabis bill has a shot this time around at getting finally ratified by the 2oth Congress and then signed into law by President Marcos,” Villafuerte said.
The House of Representatives passed the proposed law as House Bill 10439 in 2024, but its Senate counterpart stalled until the 19th Congress adjourned.
“The enactment of a law legalizing the use of CBD or cannabidiol (cannabis oil) exclusively for medical or therapeutic purposes will allow Filipinos suffering from cancer and other severe ailments to use the non-addictive strain of the marijuana plant as a legal alternative and relatively more affordable pain reliever for Filipinos hurting from debilitating medical conditions as listed by the DOH (Department of Health),” Villafuerte said.
These “debilitating medical conditions” included cancer, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous system, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments identified by the DOH.
