Medical marijuana bill filed in House

MANILA, Philippines - Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III filed yesterday a bill that would allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

“Modern research has confirmed the beneficial uses of cannabis in treating and alleviating the pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, as found by the National Institute of Medicine of the US,” Albano said in his explanatory note.

He said at least 20 states in the US, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have allowed the use of medical marijuana.

“Other states in the European Union, including Finland, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg, in recognition of the medical value of cannabis, have developed various forms of de facto decriminalization, whereby possession and use of cannabis rarely lead to criminal prosecution,” he said.

Albano pointed out that in the Philippines, the law prohibiting dangerous drugs actually allows the cultivation of marijuana by laboratories and research centers “for medical experiments or research purposes or for the creation of new types of medicine.”

He asked his colleagues to support the measure.

The bill proposes the creation of a medical cannabis regulatory authority under the Department of Health to regulate the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The authority would issue identification cards to patients who, in its evaluation, are qualified to use medical marijuana. All information relating to the patients would be treated as confidential.

A qualified patient would be prohibited from possessing or using medical marijuana in a public transportation or a public place, or from operating any vehicle while under the influence of cannabis.

The patient would not be allowed to use marijuana for purposes other than treating his or her debilitating medical condition.

An authorized physician would be prohibited from prescribing marijuana for purposes other than treating a medical condition covered by the proposed law.

The Albano bill prescribes penalties for offenders.

The secretary of health would be mandated to issue implementing guidelines.

A group of parents calling themselves Philippine Moms for Medical Marijuana has been advocating the use of medical marijuana.