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Lawmaker hails Duterte's turnabout
on legalization of medical marijuana
BY JovEE MAsrE N. DrLe Cnuz
t @jotteemarie
PARTY-LIST lawftaker on
Monday lauded President
Duterte's decision to
reject the legalization of medical
marijuana.
Buhay Rep, Lito Atienza
said President Duterte has
demonstrated correct political
leadership in throwing out the
bill seeking to legalize medical
marijuana.
"Now that the President has
spoken, we reckon that nobody
will be foolish enough to introduce
a similar measure in the next
Congress," Atienza said in a news
statement issued on Mondat
"The President's case is
consistent with our view
that legalization [of medical
marijuana] is bound to open a
'Pandora s box of drug abuse
that can lead to an unwanted
public health emergency, not to
mention another law-enforcement
problem," Atienza said.
In January, Presidential
Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo
said that President Duterte
would sign into law any bill
legalizing medical marijuana.
But on Friday, President
Duterte said he would not legalize
rnedical madiuana in the country
as it canbe misused for purposes
other than to treat ailments, The
President also said that drug
traffickers can exploit medical
mariiiana to further expand their
illegal trade.
Atienza himself earlier
warned that a number of
unnamed politicians are raring
to profit from medical marijuana
by running dispensaries.
"What has been proven by
science is that marijuana is a
dangerous substance, mainly
because it is highly addictive ,
and can cause powerful
hallucindtions, including loss of
sense ofpersonal identity, among
other short- andlong-telm side
effects," Atienza said,
At present, under the
Dangerous Drugs Act of
2002, marijuana is tagged as
a banned substance, just like
methamphetarnine hydrochloride
or shabu, MDMAoT ecstasy,
cocaine and heroin.
Under the law, mere possession
of at least 500 grams of mariiuana,
"PAGt 'Atgrr
or at least 10 grams of marijuana
concentrate (resin or resin oil), is
punishable bylife in prison Plus a
fine of up to P10 million.
Carrying lesser quantities of
the drug is punishable by 12 to
20 years in prison plus a fine of
up to P500,000.
For his part, Isabela Rep.
Rodolfo Albano III, principal
author of House Bill 6512
clarified that under the measure,
the supply of the medical cannabis
will still be under supervision of
the government.
"There will no abuse here
because under the bill you cannot
smoke marijuana and the use
would be still subjected to the
law of mariiuana, It will not
be decriminalized under the
proposal," Albano said.
"He [President Duterte]
didn't know that medical
marijuana is the extract of the
plant...we're not talking [about]
the plant per se," he added.
Albano said the bill should
not be deemed in any manner to
advocate, authorize, promote, or
legally or socially accept the use
of cannabis or marijuana for anY
nonmedical use.