A Medical Cannabis Bill Was Just Passed In The Philippines
Will The Senate Finally Legalize Medical Marijuana In This Asian Country?
June 30, 2016 marked the beginning of a dark era for the Philippines. Rodrigo Roa Duterte was elected president, and within days he began his merciless War on Drugs, which led to the deaths of thousands of Filipinos.
According to President Duterte, the murders were necessary in order to put an end to the Philippine drug problem. He was outspoken about his tactics and killings, so much so that he was already on the Human Rights Watch for the killings that made headlines around the world. What was just as bad was that many innocent people were killed during this period; completely innocent civilians that had nothing to do with the drug trade were also killed. For several years, these, in addition to the extrajudicial killings, gave the Philippines the reputation of being one of the most dangerous places in Asia to live.
Especially if you consume or sell drugs, such as crack, cocaine, and meth.
That said, Duterte was always against the recreational use of weed but he somehow supported its medical use. But that didn’t mean that he (or his officials) were going to propose legalizing weed for medical purposes. It’s somewhat ironic and confusing, how Durterte always associates any kind of drug use with crime. But for several decades now, marijuana has been one of the most widely consumed illicit drugs in the Philippines. Somehow, consumers in the lower, middle, and upper class are still able to obtain weed through the black market since it’s strictly prohibited based on the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) has, in recent years, backed up the medical use of marijuana provided that the regulations were founded on science and data.
Like in many other countries, illegalities have not stopped cartels and the black market in general from bringing in marijuana or selling it all over the country. Just don’t get caught – especially while Durterte was president; it could cost you your life.
But now that he’s no longer president, there seems to be more progressive officials in Philippine politics.
There will always be those that fight back. Take the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) for instance, whose member Dr. Tony Leachon tells the press earlier this year: “We want to educate the public about the dangers of marijuana. We want to stop our lawmakers from their proposed law to legalize medical marijuana. Our lawmakers have a moral and legal responsibility to safeguard the well-being of the public,” said Dr. Tony Leachon.
That said, the will to legalize marijuana might be even stronger.
In August 2022, Senator Robin Padilla, a former Filipino movie actor and a new member of Philippine politics, proposed a Senate bill (No. 230) that intended to regulate and legalize medical marijuana. The bill sees marijuana as a compassionate option for treating qualified individuals with various illnesses, seeks to create a Philippine Medical Cannabis Authority (PMCA) under the Department of Health, and follow the path taken by Israel when it comes to permits and licensing. Additionally, medical cannabis can only be prescribed to them by an accredited doctor.
Of course, the news was welcomed by grassroots organizations whose advocacies are to lobby for the legalization of marijuana. These included the Philippine Society of Cannabinoid Medicine, Cannahopefuls, as well as the Medical Cannabis Party, which is the country’s first marijuana political party.
Unfortunately, some senators were worried that there wouldn’t be adequate regulations that would protect from illegally growing marijuana.
What Will It Take To Legalize Medical Marijuana?
Since then, Senator Padilla has been leading hearings in the Senate so that his bill is passed, and eventually medical marijuana is legalized in the Philippines. And last July 31, the House of Representatives finally approved the bill’s final reading, with a 177-9-9 vote.
Some of the conditions that will enable a patient to qualify for medical marijuana use includes cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, spinal cord damage, and neurological conditions among others. It must also be said that the bill will pose a heavy penalty for individuals who have been found guilty of lying about illnesses in order to use cannabis. The fines range from PhP 500,000 to as much as PhP 1 million, and up to 6 years in jail time; these are pretty hefty, so you can be sure that the law will be taking it seriously.
And recreational marijuana will be nothing more than a pipe dream. But for the Philippines where cannabis has been illegal since 1972, the legalization of medical marijuana is one big step for mankind.
So, the House Bill 10439 was finally passed. But what’s next?
Conclusion
There have been no other updates of what’s going to happen next. We all have to wait and see how the senators of the Philippines are going to treat the bill. For the past few years, the topic of legalizing medical marijuana has been met with complex reactions in the Philippine government, especially in a country that is primarily Catholic and extremely conservative.
That said, there is already a significant growth in public support especially when it comes to acknowledgement of its medical benefits. That’s also why there are more grassroots organizations that seek to spread awareness of the drug.
Stay tuned – let’s see how MMJ legalization will play out in the Philippines – if at all, in a post-Duterte era.
DUTERTE AND LEGALIZATION, IT'S COMPLICATED, READ ON...
