MANILA: Twelve senators have signed a committee report on a measure that would legalise the medical use of cannabis or marijuana.
Committee Report No. 210, which was prepared and submitted by the Senate committee on health and demography on Monday (Feb 26), contains Senate Bill No. 2573 filed by Senator Robin Padilla.
Those who signed the panel report are Padilla, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Villar, Lito Lapid, Raffy Tulfo, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.
Go, Villar, and Revilla though signed with reservations while Estrada, Pimentel and Villanueva indicated that they would interpellate or make proper amendments when the bill is reported out on the Senate floor.
“The state shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Pursuant thereto, the state shall legalise and regulate the medical use of cannabis which has been confirmed to have beneficial and therapeutic uses for known debilitating medical conditions,” the bill reads.
Under the proposal, the use of cannabis for medical purposes will be permitted “to treat or alleviate a qualified patient’s debilitating medical condition or symptoms.”
“The medicalisation of cannabis includes its acquisition, possession, transportation, delivery, dispensing, administration, cultivation, or manufacturing by private individuals or entities only for medical and research purposes,” the bill said.
A Philippine Medical Cannabis Authority or PMCA will be created under the Department of Health (DOH), which shall be the principal regulatory agency in the access and use of medical cannabis and in the implementation of the measure.
Upon the recommendation of the DOH Secretary, the President will appoint a director to lead the PMCA as proposed in the measure.
Importation of medical cannabis “from countries with stringent regulatory agencies or countries with established medical cannabis regimes or countries already using the same medical cannabis products in the last five years, will be allowed under the bill.
It, however, prohibits the importation of medical cannabis products “from countries not using their own products.”
Other prohibited acts were also enumerated in the bill.
A qualified patient, for instance, is prohibited to:
Use cannabis for purposes other than for treatment of a debilitating medical condition and outside of the designated treatment facilities
Use of cannabis with other illegal intoxicating or dangerous substances
Sell or give away medical cannabis
Meanwhile, any physician is prohibited to:
>Prescribe medical cannabis without an S2 licenCe
>Prescribe medical cannabis to any person who is not a qualified patient under this Act
>Prescribe the use of medical cannabis for purposes other than for treatment of a debilitating medical condition
>Prescribe medical cannabis in quantity more than the needed dosage
>Fail or refuse to maintain the record of all his or her patients and prescriptions issued referred to in Section 9 of this Act
>Issue a written prescription for his or her own use, or the use of his or her immediate family or relatives within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity
A counterpart measure was also approved by a joint panel in the House of Representatives early this month. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
