MANILA – The House of Representatives passed on second reading the bill that aims to legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis, or more known as marijuana.
Via “ayes” and “nays” voting on Wednesday night, the lawmakers approved House Bill 6517, or the proposed “Philippine Medical Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.”
Isabela representative Rodolfo Albano, who principally authored the measure, said that it was time to legalize the medical marijuana after it was determined to have beneficial and therapeutic uses in treating chronic or debilitating medical conditions.
Once enacted, the proposal will establish Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers (MCCC) which will be authorized to sell, supply and dispense cannabis to qualified patients or their caregivers through S3-licensed pharmacists.
The bill will also provide for the establishment of the Medical Cannabis Research and Safety Compliance Facilities mandated to conduct scientific and medical research on the medical use of cannabis.
Kabayan party-list representative Ron Salo, also a co-author of the bill, said medical marijuana will only be made available are DOH hospitals, tertiary hospitals, and private hospitals licensed for medical cannabis purposes.
Licensed doctors authorized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency are the only ones authorized to issue prescriptions for medical marijuana for very specific conditions and purposes based on their expert diagnosis.
There will also be licensed medical cannabis caregivers who will be issued special identification cards by the DOH Secretary.
Medical cannabis patients will also be issued special IDs. The medical cannabis caregiver can attend to only one patient at any time.
The issue regarding the medical marijuana regained attention following the answer of the Philippines candidate Catriona Gray during the Miss Universe pageant that she was in favor of medical marijuana in moderation./PN
