PERCEPTION OF THE GRADE 10 STUDENTS IN THE GREAT PLEBEIAN COLLEGE ON THE

EFFECTS OF PROPOSED MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BILL

BY:
MARK KEVIN C. CONDE
AL-JAN N. PAGULAYAN
JENNY ROSE R. TAMAYO
FLORENDO SORIANO
REINA MAE H. DELA CRUZ
 Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM

This study presents the background of the study, the statement of

the problem, the objectives, the assumptions, significance of the study,

scope and delimitation of the study, and definition of terms.

Background of the Study

Cannabis has been illegal in the Philippines 1972 by virtue of the

Republic Act No. 6425, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, and it was amended

as Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002 or Republic Act No. 9165 signed by

then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. RA 9165 classified marijuana as a

prohibited drug, and detailed out punishments for the importation, sale,

manufacture, cultivation, possession and use of the drug, as well as

possession any drug related paraphernalia.

A pro-medical marijuana NGO called the Philippine

Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (PORMAL) seeks to challenge

the law in order to legalize its use, however there is opposition from both

the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and senators like Vicente Sotto

III. The PDEA claims that marijuana is a getaway drug that can lead to the

abuse of harder substances.

 Recent studies show that cannabis has established effects on control of

epileptic seizures, pain management in multiple sclerosis and arthritis,

treatment of symptoms associated with HIV-AIDS, reducing nausea for

chemotherapy and palliative care in end-stage cancer treatment. Potential

medical effects based on clinical trials include prevention of cancer from

spreading, slows progression of Alzheimer’s disease and control of muscle

spasms and tremors. Cannabis used in children with epilepsy and seizure

disorders have been shown to be effective without side effects of anti-

epileptic medications.

In the Philippines, thousands of patients suffering from serious and

debilitating diseases will benefit from legalizing the medical use of

cannabis. According to the 2012 Report of the International Agency for

Research on Cancer (IARC) there were 98,200 new, diagnosed cancer cases in

a year in the country while 59,00 are dying of cancer annually. Cancer

treatment in the country is prohibitive. Depending on the type of cancer,

cost of treatment ranges from 36,000 to 180,000 for standard 6 cycles of

chemotherapy. While Phil Health helps cover some cases of Cancer of Z case

rate, patients who are not eligible still have out of pocket expenses for

chemotherapy expenses.

This Act should not be deemed in any manner to advocate, authorized,

promote, or legally or socially accept the use of marijuana or cannabis for

any nonmedical use. For this reason, it provides for control measures and

regulation on the medical use of cannabis to ensure parent’s safety and for

effective and efficient implementation of this Act.

Countries that have legalized the medical use of cannabis include;

Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Czech Republic, Jamaica, Columbia, Croatia,

Italy, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Peru, Uruguay, and some other

states of America.

There are also medical organizations that have issued statements in

support of allowing access to medical cannabis include American Nurses

Association, American Public Health Association, American Medical Students

Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Epilepsy Foundation, and

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There are also organizations have issued

statements opposing the legalization of medical cannabis include the American

Academy of Pediatrics, American Society of Addiction Medicine and American

Psychiatric Association.

In regards to this topic, we need to study the perception of the Grade

10 students in The Great Plebeian College on the effects of proposed Medical

Marijuana Legalization Bill because it will help them to have better

understanding about the bill, not only for the students and teachers, but

also the parents and government officials.

Statement of the Problem

This study was conducted to determine the perception of Grade 10 students of

The Great Plebeian College on the effects of the proposed Medical Marijuana

Legalization Bill in the Academic Year 2018-2019.

 Specifically, this study attempted to answer the following:

1. What is the profile of the Grade 10 students in terms of the following:

a. Age

b. Sex

c. Section

2. What is the degree of awareness of the Grade 10 students on the effects of

proposed Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill.

3. What are the level of advantages and disadvantages of the proposed Medical

Marijuana Legalization Bill as perceived by the Grade 10 students.

4. What are the possible roles of the National and Local

Government and their degree of effectiveness to control the use of Medical

Marijuana once approved by the government.

5. What are the recommended solutions to the perceived problems once the Medical
Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by Congress and their degree of

recommendations.

Objectives of the Study

This study aimed to:

1. Determine the profile of the Grade 10 students in terms of age, sex,

section.

2. Identify the degree of awareness of the Grade 10 students on the effects

of proposed Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill.

3. Determine the level of advantages and disadvantages of the proposed

Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill as perceived by the Grade 10 students.

4. Identify the possible roles of the National and Local Government and

their degree of effectiveness to control the use of Medical Marijuana once

approved by the approved by the government.

5. Determine the recommended solutions to the perceived problems once the

Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by Congress and their

degree of recommendations.

Assumptions of the Study

To understand clearly the study, the following assumptions were formulated:

1. That the students have profile in regards to their age, sex and section.

2. That the students have degree of awareness on the effects of Medical

Marijuana Legalization Bill.

3. That there are level of advantages and disadvantages of proposed Medical

Marijuana Legalization Bill as perceived by the Grade 10 students.

4. That there are possible roles of the National and Local Government and

their degree of effectiveness to control the use of Medical Marijuana

Legalization Bill once approved by the government.

5. That there are recommended solutions to the perceivewd problems once

the Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by the Congress and

their degree of recommendations.

Significance of the Study

The study may benefit the following:

School Administrator. This study will help them to have better understanding

about the Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill and its medical benefits, they
may conduct seminars or meetings to their school with regards to this topic

to inform their employees and students.

Teachers. This study will help them to understand the bill and the perception

of their students on its effects, they may have also proper discussion to

their classes about the bill.

Students. This study will help them to understand the bill and to inform

them about the medical benefits of cannabis.

Government and Non-Government Organization. This study will inform them about

the perception of students with regards to this bill and its medical benefits

despite of its prohibition to our country.

Parents. This study will help to understand their children’s perception about

the bill.

Future Researchers. This study will help them for similar conduct of study

or research.
Scope and Delimitation

This study was conducted to determine the perception of the Grade 10 students

of The Great Plebeian College on the effects of proposed Medical Marijuana

Legalization Bill Academic Year 2018-2019 with a total of 245 respondents.

This study was intended only for similar conduct of study.

Definition of Terms

Bill. A form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but

not yet enacted of passed and made law. Relative to the present study, it is

also a bill which will help to those patients who has debilitating medical

conditions to access medical marijuana.

Cannabis. Refers to a genus of flowering plant in the family

Cannabaceae. Specie of the plant Cannabisssativa L., Cannabis, American,

hashish, bhang, guaza, churrus, ganjab, and embraces every kind, class and

character of marijuana, whether dried or fresh and flowering, flowering or

fruiting tops, or any part or portion of the plant and seeds thereof, and
all its geographic varieties, whether a reefer, resin, extract, tincture or

in any form whatsoever. Relative to the present study, for us researchers we

do believe that cannabis can treat some medical conditions than other drugs

cannot do and we support the medical marijuana bill. So we conduct this study

to know the perception of the Grade 10 students in regards on the effects of

medical marijuana bill.

Compassionate. Refers to a virtue of combining concepts such as sympathy,

empathy, fellow fwwling, benevolence, care, love, and sometimes pity and

mercy. A profound awareness of another’s suffering coupled with a desire to

alleviate that suffering. So as a researchers, we have also care to those

patients who suffers debilitating medical conditions that’s why we conduct

this study.

Debilitating medical conditions. Refers to any disease that produces one or

more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain;

severe nausea; seizure, including those characteristics of epilepsy; or

severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those associated with multiple

sclerosis. Debilitating medical conditions include the following diseases:

cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous system of the

spinal cord, epilepsy, HIV-AIDS, post-traumatic disorder, rheumatoid

arthritis. Many Filipinos suffers to these kinds of conditions that’s why we

support medical marijuana bill and we conducted study to identify the

perception of the Grade 10 students about this bill.

Medical Cannabis. Refers to cannabis including its constituent

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids, as a physician-

recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy. Medical cannabis shall not

be used in its raw form. We do believe as researchers that medical cannabis

will cure those patients who suffers medical conditions, once it will pass

as a law it will help to those poor people because it is more cheaper than

other medicines.
Medical Use. Refers to delivery, possession, transfer, transportation, or

use of cannabis and its devices to treat or alleviate a registered patient’s

medical condition associated with the patient’s debilitating disease or its

acquisition, administration, cultivation, or manufacturing for medical

purposes. Cannabis is also for medical use only not for recreational use.

Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centre. Refers to any entity duly registered

licensed by the Department of Health to acquire, possess, deliver, transfer,

transport, sell, supply and dispense cannabis devices or related supplies

and educational material to duly registered qualified patients. Once it will

established those patients will now have better access to medical marijuana.

Perception. The way you think about or understand someone or something,

that’s why we conducted this study to identify the perception of the Grade

10 students on the effects of proposed medical marijuana bill.

Qualified Medical Cannabis Caregiver. Refers to a person who must be at least

21 years old and has no prior conviction for the use of dangerous drugs,
under RA 9165. The caregiver must also have written consent indicating his

or her willingness to assist the qualified patient and not divert the medical

cannabis for the use of any

Qualified Medical Cannabis Physician. Refers to a physician who has a

doctor’s degree in medicine, a bonafide relationship with the patient, a

license to prescribe drugs, and a professional knowledge of the use of

medical marijuana. We need physicians to have a right access when we conduct

medical marijuana.

Qualified Medical Cannabis Patient. Refers to person who has been diagnosed

by a certifying physician as having debilitating medical condition and who,

in the physican’s professional opinion would benefit from the medical use of

cannabis.

Chapter 2
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND

STUDIES

This chapter presents the literature and related studies which bear

significance to the present study.

Review of Related Literature Local Literature

The house panel, chaired by Quezon City 4th District Representative

Angelina Tan, approved the House Bill 6517 entitled “An Act Providing

Compassionate and Right of Access to Medical Canabis and Expanding research

into its Medical Properties” as substitute to House Bill Number 180. The

bill seeks to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis, or marijuana, which

is known to have therapeutic purposes in the treatment of chronic or

debilitating medical conditions such as arthritis,epilepsy, and multiple

sclerosis, among others. Under the bill, it will create “Medical Cannabis

Compassionate Centres” (MCCC), or entitles, registered with the Department

of Health (DOH) to acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver,

transfer, transport, sell, and dispense cannabis, devises, or related

supplies to registered qualified patients. It will also create “Medical

Cannabis Safety Compliance Facilities” (MCSCF), which registered by the DOH

that conduct scientific and medical research on medical use of cannabis and

provide testing for its potency and contaminants relative to its safe and

efficient use, cultivation, harvesting, packaging, labelling, distribution

and proper security. An MCCC or MCSCF cannot be located within 1,000 feet of

a school, college, or university. (www.rappler.com)

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will regulate the

dispensation of medical marijuana in these hospitals. The bill mandates the

issuance of identification cards for qualified patients. If the patient is

a minor or is not yet 18 years old, an identification card will not be issued

until the custodial parent or legal guardian is briefed on the risks and

benefits of the medical cannabis. The list of registered patients and

caregivers and other data will be kept confidential by the DOH. The bill

also prohibits discrimination against patients who avail of medical cannabis,

including the rights of parents to visit a minor child. Provided, however,

that the use of medical of medical cannabis does not pose “unreasonable

danger” to the child. Patients are not allowed to use medical cannabis in

any public place; operate motor vehicles, aircraft, or motorboats while under

the influence of cannabis; do any tasks that would require body or motor

functions that may impaired during cannabis use, or use cannabis outside of

medical reasons. (www.rappler.com) According to the Republic Act No. 8423 or

the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act or (TAMA) of 1997, provides

that “it shall be the policy of the state to improve the quality and delivery

of health care services to the Filipino people through the development of

traditional and alternative health care and its integration into the national

health care delivery system. It also provides that the state shall seek a
legally workable basis by which indigenous societies would own their

knowledge of traditional medicine.”

According to the Article 13 Section 11 of the Philippine

Constitution, “it shall be the policy of the state to adopt an integrated

and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavour to

make essential goods, health and other social services.”

In accordance with Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Dangerous

Drugs Act of 2002 as amended, “the state shall provide measures to achieve

a balance in the national drug control program so that patients with

debilitating medical condition may receive adequate amount of treatment and

appropriate medication s from the regulated use of dangerous drugs”. The

bill currently under the 2nd reading stage in the House of Representatives.

According to Godofredo U. stuart, Jr., M.D., “whenever the legalization

of medical marijuana gets bandied around, I say to myself: no way in hell.

Then, from out of the blue, in the early months of his brutal war on drugs,
Duterte announced: It’s effective, I will not deprive Filipinos of the

benefits of medical marijuana but must have a clear definition of what is

and it must be approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)”. The bottom

line is: it is effective, and Filipinos in need should not be denied its

benefits. While qustions and issues on safety are crucial points for

continued debate, cannabis is still safer than all the other recreational

drugs, with less toxicity that some over the counter pain-killers. Debate

should be accompanied by unbiased education and dissemination of its pros

and cons and risks and benefits. There will be many challenges for the think

tank of politicians, physicians, and powers that be in law enforcement and

regulatory agencies. Stuart supports the legalization of marijuana for meical

use. And, furthermore, he would support also the decriminalization of

possession into a misdemeanour. Regardless of the outcome, marijuana should

be removed from the deadly list in this country’s murderous war on drugs.

(www.stuartexchange.com)
 Dr. Jorge Ignacio, chairperson of the Cancer Institute in Manila, is one

of the few vocal medical marijuana advocates among doctors in the

Philippines. Many of his colleagues, he says, often avoid the subject because

they “are probably too scared of the notion of what marijuana is or they

just don’t have an idea of how far the science has come”. Although Ignacio

endorses marijuana as a potential treatment, he is clear to point out that

he advocates only for legal access. At the same time, he admits that eight

of his patients are currently using marijuana with the help of underground

suppliers. “I only want patients to have access, legally, because I can’t

bear seeing them benefiting from it but still hiding and being very discreet

about things. It actually hampers my treatment”, said Ignacio, who is one of

the four doctors policymakers consulted while drafting the legislation. If

enacted, the proposed bill would allow immediate access to marijuana for

about 500,000 patients who enrol in research studies and clinical trials

within the first year, according to him. The bill requires a medical research
phase before they fully commercialised, which would take up to three or four

years. (www.aljazeera.com)

Stand of the President and other Officials about the bill Albano recalled

that shortly after winning the presidency in May 2016, President Rodrigo

Duterte said he was not opposed to the legalization of marijuana for medical

purposes but he was against its use for recreation. Duterte said, “Medical

marijuana, yes, because it is really an ingredient of modern medicine now.

There are medicine right now being developed or already in the market that

have marijuana as a component used for medical purposes. If you smoke it

like cigarette, I will not allow it, ever. It remains to be a prohibited

item and there’s always a threat of being arrested. If you choose to fight

the law enforcement agency, you die”. (www.philstar.com)

In an auspicious sign for the bill, even lawmakers from the opposition

expressed support for the measure. “Im a cosponsor of thet bill,” said

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin. Albay Rep. EdcelLagman said “I support it too, as
long as its medical marijuana, in other countries, marijuana is not even a

prohibited drug.” Albano said senators were waiting for the House to pass

the bill before drafting their own version, but a law proposed by Senator

RisaHontiveros to establish community-based programs to deal with drug

problems included a provision allowing to delivery, possession, transfer,

transportation, orr use of cannabis and other dangerous drugs intended for

medical use. The patient, caregiver, physician, or medical researcher

delivers, transport, uses, acquires, administers, cultivates, or

manufactures dangerous drugs for medical purpose shall be exempt from

criminal ability,” according to the Hontiveros bill.

(www.newsinfo.inquirer.net)

Senator Gringo Honasan, chairman of the CA health committee, echoed

the position of Sen. Vicente Sotto III, saying the compassionate use of

marijuana is “already in the law”.

“Technically, it’s already in the law that with a doctor’s certification

that its for medical use, it is allowed,” Honasan said in a text message.

Senator JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Health Committee,

meanwhile, said he is “open” to the proposal legalizing marijuana for medical

use. “If it will help in saving lives, why not? As long as parameters are in

place to prevent its abuse, I am open to the idea. Of course, any substance

abuse is a concern. We need to put safeguards to prevent abuse,” Ejercito

said. (www.gmanetwork.com)

Criticism about the bill

Senate Majority Leader Viicente Sotto III advised Health Secretary

Francisco Duque III to study the law over the latter’s position on a proposal

allowing the “compassionate use” of medical marijuana. “He should review RA

9165”, Sotto added, saying he will object to the position of Duque during

the Health Secretary’s confirmation hearing before the

Commission on Appoinntments (CA). (www.gmanetwork.com)

 According to him, the Senate is not included to pass a medical

marijuana bill had cleared the health committee of the House of

Representatiives, the measure was actually one that sougth access to medical

cannabis. He said the Senate could only commit to study the compassionate

use of medical cannabis and that this, if ever, would entail the amendment

of the compassionate use provision of Republic Act No. 9165. Sotto, a former

head of the Dangerous Drugs Board, said he would oppose any medical marijuana

proposal in the Senate. “There is no hope for such bill here, it’s dead in

the water,” he said. (www.newsinfo.inquirer.net)

Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza expressed fears that House Bill No. 6517,

which seeks to provide the public free access to medical marijuana, would in

effect be a “backdoor decriminalization “of smoking weeds. “If other

countries wish to destroy themselves by enabling medical marijuana, then let

them create their own problems. We Filipinos certainly do not want to

degenerate into a nation of zombies,” Atienza said. The House senior deputy
minority leader added that illegal drug traffickers might even use medical

marijuana as cover to boost the stimulants recreational use. Marijuana is

considered a getaway drug used to entice students before they are introduced

to more potent drug like “shabbu”,

Atienza said. (www.newsinfo.inquirer.net)

Foreign Literature

According to the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights in

Article III which states that “everyone has the right to life, liberty, and

security” which includes the health benefits and freedom of speech, if this

is the context used and applied, then medical marijuana bill should be

legalized and implemented.

The use, sale, and possession of all forms of cannabis in the United

States is illegal under federal law. As a Schedule I drug under the federal

Controlled Substance Act of 1970, cannabis is considered to have “no accepted

medical use” and have a high potential for abuse and physical or
psychological dependence. Cannabis use is illegal for any reason, with the

exception of PDA approved research programs. However, individual states have

enacted legislation permitting exemptions for various uses, mainly for

medical and industrial use. As a psychoactive drug, cannabis continues to

find extensive favour among recreational and medical users in the United

States. As of 2018, nine States – Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine,

Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington – have legalized the

sale and possession of cannabis for both medical and recreational use;

Vermont and the District of Columbia have legalized personal use but

commercial sale. Multiple efforts to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled

Substances Act have failed, and the United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers

Cooperative (2001) and Gonzales v. Raich (2005) that the federal government

has a right to regulate and criminalize cannabis, whether medicalor

recreational. As a result, cannabis dispensaries are licensed by each state;

these businesses sell cannabis products that have not been approved by the

U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, nor are legally registered with the federal government to

sell control substances. Although cannabis has not been approved, the FDA

recognizes the potential benefits of it. The ability of states to implement

cannabis legalization policies was weakened after US Attorney General Jeff

Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum on January 4, 2018 and issued a new

memo instructing US attorneys to enforce federal law related to marijuana.

The Cole Memo, issued by former Deputy Attorney James Cole in 2013, urged

federal prosecutors to refrain from targeting state-legal marijuana

operations. Regarding the medical uuse of cannabis, the Rohrabacher-Farr

amendment still remains in effect to ptotect state-legal medical cannabis

activities from enforcement of federal law.

Roger Roffman, a professor of social work at the Uniiversity of

Washington, asserted in July 2013 that “approximately 3.6 million Americans

are daily or near daily users”. Peter Reuters, a professor at the School of

Public Policy and the Department of

Criminology at the University of Maryland, College Park, said that,

“experimenting with marijuana has long been a normal part of growing up in

the U.S.; about half of the population born since 1960 has tried the drug by

age 21”. A World Health

Organization survey found that the United States is the world’s leading per

capita marijuana consumer.

In Canada as of late 2017, cannabis is legal only for medical

purposes and under conditions outlined in the Access to Cannabis for Medical

Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) issued by Health Canada. The cultivation of

cannabis is currently legal in Canada for seed, grain and fibre production

only under licences issued by health Canada. Cannabis was first banned in

Canada in 1923, with regulated medical cannabis becoming legal in 2001. In

response to popular opinion, Justin Trudeau, the leader of the Liberal Party
of Canada committed to legalizing cannabis for personal use while campaigning

during the Canadian Federal election. The Liberals won the election with 184

seats, allowing the party to form a majority government witj Trudeau as Prime

Minister. The plan was to remove cannabis possession for personal consumption

from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The Legislation to legalize

cannabis for recreational use (Bill C-45) was passed by the federal House of

Commons in late November 2017, planned to be effective in the summer of 2018

but, without specific effective date, if the bill is approved in time by the

Senate. The provinces will have the power to determine the method of

distribution and sale and each will also establish the legal age for cannabis

use.

Regarding the economical angle of this topic, several important

studies and statistics have been brought up. Firstly, according to the

Canadian Poloce Association, there were 29,562 marijuana related arrested in

2009, while America had 1,663,582 during the same time. This shows that an
enormous amount of money is needed to keep up with these “crimes”, while it

be taxed. Jeffrey A. Miron, the professor of economics at the University of

Boston discusses the potential legalization and the implication that it may

have in the economy of Massachussetts in his paper “The budgetary implication

of marijuana legalization in

Massachussetts”. According to the paper, Massachusetts would save 120.6

million dollars annually in government expenditure towards criminal justice

enforcement. (Crocker 2011)

According to Ross Rebagliati, a snow-boarder gold medallist,

cannabis is a performance enhancer, and that usage can be helpful for some

activities such as extreme sports, as it improves muscle relaxation, reduces

anxiety, and extinctfear memories (e.g., negative experience) leading to

enhanced performance. It also improves sleep time and recovery, which may

favour performance when an athlete is facing multiple competitions in a short

period of time.
 Columbia is another country that’s struggled to defeat the illegal drug

trade in their nation. The country has decided to take a new approach towards

fighting cartels. They first decriminalized possession of marijuana, and

then in 2016 legalized medical marijuana. The hope is for the marijuana trade

to become legitimate business run by corporations as opposed to cartels. If

medical marijuana works at reducing drug traffickers, then recreational could

be on the table. In 2015, President Juan Manuel Santos signed legislation

allowing cannabis and derivatives for medical uses, and establishing

guidelines for dispensaries.

Cannabis in Israel is illegal but allowed for some specified

medical usages. Citizens using cannabis in public cannot be arrested but may

face fines, with the money collected from these fines going to education and

rehabilitation programs. A survey in 2017 found that 27% of Israelis between

ages of 18 and 65 had consumed cannabis in the world, followed by Iceland

and the US at 18% and 16% respectively. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the

psychoactive chemical component in marijuana that causes a high, was first

isolated by Israeli scientists Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew Universityin

Jerusalem’s Centre for Research on Pain and Yechiel Gaoniof the Weizmann

Institute in 1964. Marijuana for medical use has been permitted in Israel

since the early 1990s for cancer patients and those with painrelated

illnesses such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s Disease, other

chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients can smoke cannabis,

ingest it in liquid and caplet form, or apply it to the skin as a balm. In

2017, it was reported that the Israeli medical cannabis industry could be

soon be worth “hundreds of millions of dollars”, with research innovation in

the area being backed by Israelis Ministry of Health. Currently there are

about 26,000 registered medical cannabis users, with the number expected to

double by 2018. In April 2017, with global demand growing, Israel gave

medical cannabis companies the green light to start exporting their products,
with analyses estimating that the measure could generate Israel some 267

million dollar per year.

History of Medical Cannabis

The early Chinese surgeon, Huatuo (c. 140-208) is credited with

being the first recorded person to use cannabis as an anesthesia. He reduced

the plant to powder and mixed it with wine for administration prior to

conducting surgery. According to Dutch Sinologist, Frank dikotter, “the

medical use of marijuana was highlighted in a pharmacopeia of the Tang

Dynasty, which prescribed the root of the plant to remove a blood clot, while

the juice from the leaves could be ingested to combat tapeworm. The seeds of

cannabis, reduced to powder and mixed with rice wine, were recommended in

various other materials against several ailments, ranging from constipation

to hair loss”. Cannabis is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional

Chinese medicine.
 In Ancient Egypt (1550 BC) the Ebers Papyrus has prescription for

medical marijuana applied directly for inflammation. Other ancient Egyptian

papyri that mention medical cannabis are the Ramesseum III

Papyrus (1700 BC), the Berlin Papyrus (1300 BC) and the Chester Beatty

Medical Papyrus VI (1300 BC). Tha ancient Egyptians used cannabis in

suppositories for relieving the pain of hemmorroids. Around 2,000 BCE, the

Ancient Egyptians used to treat sore eyes. The Egyptologist,

LiseManniche notes the reference to “plant medical cannabis” in several

Egyptian texts, one of which dates back to the 18th century BCE.

In Ancient India, cannabis was a major component in religious

practices in Ancient India as well as in medical practices. For many

centuries, most parts of line in ancient India incorporated cannabis of some

form. Surviving texts from ancient India confirm that cannabis psychoactive

properties were recognized, and doctors used it for treating a variety of

illness and ailments. This included insomnia, headaches, a whole host of

gastrointestinal disorders, and pain: cannabis frequently used to believe

the pain of child birth. One Indian philosopher expressed his views on the

nature and uses of bhang (a form of cannabis), which combined religious

thought with medical practices. “A guardian lives in the bhang leaf. To see

in a dream the leave, plant, or water of bhang is lucky. A longing for bhang

foretells happiness. It cures dysentery and sunstroke, clears phlegm,

quickens digestion, sharpens appetite, makes the tongue of the lisper plain,

freshens the intellect and gives alertness to body and gaiety to the mind.

Such are the useful and needful ends which in His goodness the Almighty made

bhang.

The Ancient Greeks used cannabis not only for human medicine, but

also in veterinary medicine to dress wounds and sores on their horses. In

humans, dried leaves of cannabis seeds were used to expel tapeworms. The

most frequently described use of cannabis in humans was steep green seeds

of cannabis in either water or wine, later taking the seeds out and using
the warm extract to treat inflammation and pain resulting from obstruction

of the ear. In the 5th century BC, Herodotus, a Greek Historian, described

how the Scythians of the Middle East used cannabis in steam baths. These

baths drove the people to a frenzied state.

In the Medieval Islamic World, Arabic physicians made use of

diuretic, antiemetic, antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and

antipyretic properties of Cannbis Sativa, and used it extensively as

medication from the 8th to 18th centuries.

In modern history, during the mid-19th century, medical interest

in the use of cannabis began to grow in the West. An Irish physician, William

Brooke O’Shaughnessy, is credited with introducing the therapeutic use of

cannabis in western medicine. He was AssisstantSurgeon and Professor of

Chemistry at the Medical College of Calcutta, and conducted a cannabis

experiment in the 1820s, first testing his preparations on animals, then

administering them to patients to help great muscle spasms., stomach cramps

or general pain. Modern medical and scientific inquiry began with doctors

like O’Shaughnessy and Moreau de Tours, who used it to treat melancholia and

migraines, and as sleeping aid, analgesic and anticonvulsant.

At the turn of 20th century the Scandinavian maltose- and cannabis-

based drink Maltos-Cannabis was widely available in Denmark and Norway.

Promoted as “an excellent lunch drink, especially for children and young

people”, the product had won a prize at the Exposition International d’Anvera

in 1894. A Swedish Encyclopedia from 1912 claim that Europeian cannabis, the

raw material for Maltos-Sugar, almost lacked the narcotic effect that is

typical for Indian hemp and the products from Indian hemp was abandon by

modern science for medical use. MaltosCannabis was promoted with the text

about its content of maltose sugar.

Later in the century, researchers investigating methods of

detecting cannabis intoxication discovered that smoking the drug reduced

intraocular pressure. In 1955, the antibacterial effects were described at

the Palacky University of Olomouc. In 1970s, a synthetic version of

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was produced and approved for use in the United

States as the drug Marinol. It was delivered as a capsule, to be swallowed.

Medical Uses of Cannabis

Medical cannabis has several potential beneficial effects. It helps

in chronic pain and muscle spasms. It is use for reducing nausea during

chemotherapy, improving appetite in HIV-AIDS, improving tics in tourette

syndrome. It is recommended that cannabis use be stopped in pregnancy.

Cannabinoid is a chemical compound found in cannabis that acts on

cannabinoid receptors in cells that alter neutrotransmitter release in the

brain. There are types of cannabinoids;

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of

cannabis, Dronabinol is the synthetic form of THC approved by the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) in America, it is use as an appetite stimulant for

those who has HIV-AIDS and Antiemetic for those people who undergoes
chemotherapy, and Nabiximol, in the United Kingdom, it is use as mouth spray

for those people who has multiple sclerosis; Cannabidiol (CBD) is useful in

treating inflammation and epilepsy;

Cannabinol (CBN) also shows potential as an anti-inflammatory;

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) has also potential treatment against obesity.

Adverse effects of Cannabis

There is insufficient data to draw strong conclusion about the

safety of medical cannabis. Typically, adverse effects of medical cannabis

use are not serious. These include: tiredness, dizziness, cardiovascular,

psychoactive effects, and increased appetite. Tolerance to these effects

develops over a period of days or weeks, long-term use of cannabis may cause

addiction, memory and cognition problem and cardiac abnormalities. Exposure

to THC can cause acute transient psychotic symptoms in healthy inviduals and

people with schizophrenia.

Related Study Local Study

Castro, et al., 2015 “Perception of University Belt Students in

the Legalization of Medical Marijuana in the Philippines”. The main objective

of the study is to know the perception of students around Sampaloc, Manila,

about the legalization of marijuana in the Philippines. To accomplish the

objective, more investigation about the said drug was done. The result of

the study recommend that the government should enact a law on legalizing

marijuana, but which strict counsel that it should only be used for medical

purposes, and not for pleasurable acts, and he find also that the public

lacks sufficient knowledge about all of its properties and attributes.

Evangelista, et al., 2014 in his thesis book entitled “Marijuana

Legalization for a Better Nation”. Once marijuana will be legalized, the

illegal market will be converted into a free market which will be regulated

by our government, in addiction to that, marijuana’s price would go down

which means that drug users would stop the crime they make in order to
acquire money. Police, courts, and prisons will be able to focus on hunting

real criminals and the crime committed to buy drugs will be reduced. The

producers and the process of making marijuana would positively change. The

drug lords would not survive on a free market. Marijuana will be produced

and distributed by legal companies nationally which means that marijuana

will be made safer and less potent. The people would be better informed about

marijuana and the change on it will be consumer-driven. People will acquire

the freedom to demand the producers when it’s necessary. The amount of crime

would be reduced and the power of the law enforcement would increase once we

start.

Foreign Study

Acoording to Moris, et al., (2014) in his research article “The

Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data,

1990-2006”. The results did not indicate a crime exacerbating effect of

Medical Marijuana Law on any of the Part 1 offenses which includes homicide,
rape, robbery assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft. Alternatively,

state Medical Marijuana Law may be correlated with a reduction in homicide

and assault rates, net of other covariates. The central findings gleaned

from the study was that Medical Marijuana Law is not predictive of higher

crime rates and may be related to reductions in rates of homicide and assault.

Interestingly, robbery and burglary rates were unaffected by medicinal

marijuana legislation, which runs counter to the claim that dispensaries and

grow houses lead to an increase in victimization due to the opportunity

structures linked to the amount of drugs and cash at present. Although, this

is in line with prior research suggesting that medical marijuana dispensaries

may actually reduce crime in the immediately vicinity. These findings run

counter to arguments suggesting the legalization of marijuana for medical

purposes poses a danger to public health in terms of exposure to violent

crime and property crimes. To be sure, medical marijuana laws were not found

to have an exacerbating effect on any of the seven crime types.

 In the study of Sevigny, et al., (2014) on his research article

“The Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Potency”. He found evidence that

potency increased by a half percentage point on average after legalization

of medical marijuana, although this result was not significant. When he

examined specific medical marijuana supply provisions, results suggest that

legal allowances for retail dispensaries had the strongest influence,

significantly increasing potency by about one percentage point on average.

His mediation analyses examining the mechanisms through which medical

marijuana laws influence potency found no evidence of direct regulatory

impact. Rather, the results suggest that the impact of these laws occurs

predominantly through a compositional shift in the share of the market

captures by high-potency sunsemilla. His findings have important

implications for policymakers and those in the scientific community trying

to understand the extent to which greater availability of higher potency

marijuana increases the risk of negative public health outcomes, such as

drugged driving and drug-induced psychoses. Future work should reconsider

the impact of medical marijuana laws on health outcomes in light of dramatic

and on-going shifts in both marijuana potency and the medical policy

environment.

In the study of Blavos, et al., (2015) on his dissertation entitled

“Medical Marijuana: The Impact on College Students”. The purpose of the study

was to evaluate the outcomes medical marijuana laws have on college students.

An analysed and normative influence was examined. The analysis revealed that

students who attended college in states with medical marijuana laws were

more than as likely to use marijuana on campus, in the residence halls, where

they live. Analysis also revealed that students who attended college in

states with medical marijuana laws were more likely to experience negative

consequences (memory loss, being hurt or injured, doing something they

regretted, or doing poorly on an exam) than students who did not. Logistic

regressions were used to assess marijuana and other drug use and suggest
that student use also differed by state medical marijuana laws. Students in

states with laws were more likely to have used hallucinogens and designer

drugs while students in states without laws were more likely to used legal

substances (alcohol and tobacco). Finally, the conclusion revealed that the

students in states with medical marijuana laws are more likely to have used

marijuana in the past year, use on campus, suffered academic challenges.

With impending passage of future more permissive marijuana laws, it is

recommended that college health-practitioners, campus administrators,

researchers, grantors, and the state a federal governments begin to address

the negative impact that these laws have on college students.

Synthesis

According to Castro (2015) in his study, he found out that public lacks

sufficient knowledge about all appropriates and attributes of medical

marijuana. The result of his study recommends that the government should

enact a law on legalizing medical marijuana. Relative to the study, the

researchers also focus on the perception of the students on the effects of

medical marijuana legalization bill, while the difference is the respondents

of Castro are college students in University Belt while the present study

focus on the Grade 10 students in The Great Plebeian College.

According to Evangelista (2014) in his thesis book, once marijuana will

be legalized, the illegal market will be converted into a free market, which

will be regulated by our government and the price would go down which means

that drug users would stop the crime. Police will be able to hunt real

criminals and the crime committed to buy drugs will be reduced. The producers

and the process of making marijuana would positively change. The legal

companies nationally which means that marijuana will be made safer and less

potent. The people would be better informed about marijuana and the change

on it will be consumer-driven. People will acquire the freedom to demand the

producers when it is necessary. The amount of crime would be reduced and the

power of the law enforcement would increase once we start. The similarity to
the present study is that, both conducts a study about medical marijuana

legalization, but the difference is that he focused on the outcomes once

medical marijuana will be legalized, while on the present study, it will

focus on the perception of student on the effects of medical marijuana bill.

In the study of Morris (2014), the results did not indicate a crime

exerbating effect of Medical Marijuana Law on any of the Part 1 offenses

which includeshomicide, rape, robbery assault, burglary, larceny, and auto

theft. Alternatively, state Medical Marijuana Law may be correlated with a

reduction in homicide and assault rates, net of other covariates. Medical

Marijuana laws were not found to have an exacerbating effect on any of the

seven crime types. Relative to the present study, researchers also focus on

the effects of medical marijuana bill to our society when it is approved and

implemented. But the difference is he only focused on crime effects, while

the present study focused on its general effects.

 According to Sevigny (2014) in his study, he found out that potency

increased by half percentage point on average after legalization of medical

marijuana, his findings have important implications for policy makers and

those in the scientific community trying to understand the extent to which

availability of higher potency of marijuana increases the risk of negative

public health outcomes, such as drugged driving and drug-induced psychoses.

Future works should reconsider the impact of medical marijuana laws on health

outcomes in light of dramatic and on-going shifts in both marijuana potency

and the medical policy environment. Relative to the present study is that,

both are focused on the effects and the potency given by medical marijuana

bill, the government should have deeply understanding about medical marijuana

before implementing. In contrast to the present study, the study of sevigny

focused only on the potency influence by the medical marijuana while the

present study focus on the broad effects of medical marijuana bill.

 According to Blavos (2015), they revealed that students who

attended college in states with medical marijuana laws were more likely to

use medical marijuana on campus, in the residence halls, where they live.

Analysis also revealed that students who attended college in states with

medical marijuana laws were more than likely experience negative consequences

(memory loss, being hurt or injured, doing something regretted, or doing

poorly in their exam) that students who did not. Finally, the conclusion

revealed that the students in states with medical marijuana laws are moe

likely to have used marijuana in the past year, use on campus, suffers

academic challenges. With impending passage of future more permissive

marijuana laws, it is recommended that college health-practitioners, campus

administrators, researchers, grantors, and the state of federal governments

begin to address the negative impact that these laws have on college

students. Similar to the present study, both are focused on the effects and
impact of medical marijuana law to the students, but the difference is it

was conducted as a medical marijuana law and not already a bill.

Conceptual Framework

The researchers conceptualized the paradigm through the

relationships of the input, process, and output. The first block is in the

INPUT which contains the variables of the study. It includes; the profile of

the students in terms of age, sex and section; the degree of awareness of

the students on the effects of proposed medical marijuana legalization bill;

the level of advantages and disadvantages of proposed medical marijuana

legalization bill; possible roles of the national and local government and

their degree of effectiveness to control the use of medical once approved by

the government; recommended solutions to the perceived problems once the

Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by Congress and their

degree of recommendations.
 The second block is the PROCESS, wherein all the gathered data

were analysed and interprted. The third block is the OUTPUT, which will

present the outcome or the result of the input and process. Through this

process, we determined the perception of the Grade 10 students on the effects

of proposed medical marijuana legalization bill.

Paradigm of the Study

 Input Process Output
Profile of the respondents.

Degree of awareness of the

respondents on the effects of
proposed Medical Marijuana
Legalization Bill
.

Level of advantages and

disadvantages on the
proposed Medical Marijuana
Legalization Bill as perceived
by the Grade 10 students.
Possible roles of the national
and local government and
their degree of effectiveness
to control the use of medical
marijuana once approved by
the government.
The Perception of the
Grade 10 students in
Preparation of Data The Great Plebeian
Gathering College on the effects
Questionnaires of proposed Medical
Marijuana
Legalization Bill.

Recommended solutions to
the perceived problems once
Medical Marijuana
Legalization Bill will be passed
by Congress and their degree
of recommendations.
 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the Research design, Locale of the Study, Data

Gathering Instrument and Procedure, and the Statistical Treatment used in

this study.

Research Design

In this study, the researchers used the Descriptive Method as the

Research Design.

The researchers use this method because it aimed to answer the

questions concerning the Perception of the Grade 10 students in The Great

Plebeian College on the Effects of Proposed Medical Marijuana Legalization

Bill.
Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted at The Great Plebeian College, High School

Department, A.Y. 20182019. The said college is located at Don P. Reinoso

Street, Poblacion, City of Alaminos, Pangasinan.

Total Population

The Grade 10 students in The Great Plebeian College has a total population

of two hundred forty five (245). All of them were the respondents of this

study.
Section Frequenxy Percentage

Maka-Diyos 54 22.04

Maka-Bansa 51 20.82

Maka-Tao 51 20.82

Maka-Kalikasan 51 20.82

Maka- 38 15.50

Katarungan

Total 245 100

Data Gathering Instrument

The main data gathering instrument are the survey questionnaires

which will be used to get profile of the students, the degree of awareness

of the students, the level of advantages and disadvantages of medical

marijuana bill, the possible roles of the national and local government to

control the use of medical marijuana, recommended solutions to the perceived

problems once Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by Congress

and their degree of recommendations.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers submitted a letter to the School President for

approval. Upon approval, the questionnaires were distributed to the

respondents with proper guidance and instructions by the researchers.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The data gathered from the respondents through the used of survey

questionnaires were analysed and reviewed carefully. Frequency counts,

 percentage, and weighted average mean be employed in the treatment of the

data.

In Part I the researchers used frequency counts and percentage for

the profile of the students.

Formula for Percentage

P = f/n x 100%

Where; P = Percentage f = Frequency of the respondents

n = Total population

100 = Constant multiplier

In Part II frequency counts and percentage, and the weighted average mean

were employed to identify the degree of awareness of the Grade 10 students

on

the effects of proposed Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill.

Weighted Average Mean Formula: X = Σfx/n

Where; X = Average Weighted Mean Σfx/n = Sum of the weighted mean

N = Total population

Quantitative Qualitative Limit of Index

Interpretation Interpretation

4 Very Much Aware 3.25-400

3 Aware 2.50-3.25

2 Slightly Aware 1.75-2.49

1 Not Aware 1.00-1.74

In Part III frequency counts, percentage, and average weighted mean were

employed in identifying the level of advantages and disadvantages of proposed

medical marijuana legalization bill as perceived by the Grade 10 students.

Weighted Average Mean Formula: X = Σfx/n

Where; X = Average Weighted Mean Σfx/n = Sum of the weighted mean

N = Total population

Quantitative Qualitative Limit of Index

Interpretation Interpretation

4 Very Advantageous 3.25-4.00

 3 Advantageous 2.50-3.25

2 Moderately 1.75-2.49

Advantageous

1 Least 1.00-1.74

Advantageous

Quantitative Qualitative Limit of Index

Interpretation Interpretation

4 3.25-4.00
Very Disadvantageous
 3 Disadvantageous 2.50-3.25

2 Moderately 1.75-2.49

Disadvantageous

1 1.00-1.74
Least Disadvantageous

In Part IV frequency counts, percentage, and average weighted mean were

employed in identifying the possible roles of national and local government

and their degree of effectiveness once the medical marijuana legalization

bill will be approved by the government.

Weighted Average Mean Formula: X = Σfx/n

Where; X = Average Weighted Mean Σfx/n = Sum of the weighted mean

N = Total population
Quantitative Qualitative Limit of Index

Interpretation Interpretation

4 Highly Effective 3.25-4.00

3 Very Effective 2.50-3.25

2 Effective 1.75-2.49

1 Least Effective 1.00-1.74

 In Part V frequency counts, percentage, and average weighted mean were

employed in identifying the recommended solutions to the perceived problems

once the Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill will be passed by the Congress

and their degree of recommendations.

Weighted Average Mean Formula: X = Σfx/n

Where; X = Average Weighted Mean Σfx/n = Sum of the weighted mean

N = Total population

Quantitative Qualitative Limit of Index

Interpretation Interpretation

4 Highly 3.25-4.00

Recommended
3 Recommended 2.50-3.24

2 Moderately 1.75-2.49

Recommended

1 Least 1.00-1.74

Recommended