A joint committee in the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a consolidated bill legalizing marijuana for medical use.
The House Committees on Dangerous Drugs and on Health, chaired by Reps. Jonathan Keith Flores of Bukidnon and Ciriaco Gato Jr. of Batanes, respectively, approved the consolidated measure granting compassionate access to medical cannabis, expanding research into its medicinal properties, and establishing a regulatory framework covering patient access, authorized use, and penalties for prohibited acts.
“We’re trying to slowly open not just our eyes and our minds to cannabis on this issue. That’s why we’re limiting these bills to medical cannabis,” Flores said.
Several government agencies, including the Dangerous Drugs Board, rallied behind the measure, under which cannabis will be used only for medicinal purposes.
“The bill is under consideration in keeping with the agency’s mandate to maintain the balance between the government’s national drug control policy and providing access to people with legitimate medical needs,” a Dangerous Drugs Board representative said.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency expressed a similar view: “We fully support the introduction and eventual passage of a bill giving access to medical marijuana or medical cannabis.”
In supporting the measure, the Philippine National Police stressed that the enacted law must have “a strict regulatory system to ensure that medical cannabis is used solely for compassionate medical treatment and scientific research.”
The proposed medical cannabis measure had been filed in past Congresses but did not prosper.
