MANltA, PHIIPP|NES I WEDNESDAY t3 MARCH 20r9

Longer wait for medical m arijuana lawr

' the Chief Executive firmly believes that legalizing the use of cannabis
for medical purposes would only be used.as an excuse for the
'
proliferation of mar[iuana plantations
Bi l(rbtlm aratlt
Medical mariiuana advocates will hs!€
,to wait longer for its legalization
;. as hesident Rodrigo Duterte
^' -""', declared it is not going to
happen rtile he is Sill in offic€.
- "Absolute yes, he doesn't
like (legalizing it)," presidential
spokesman Salvador Pan elo
confirmed at a press briefing.
. He said that the Chief Executive firmly
kR b"[i"u.r that legalizing the use of cannabis
for medical purposes would only be used as
an excuse for the proliferation of mar$uana
plartations and cause widespread addiction.
'He foels that you will be using that as an
excuse, (Ihe problem) mightjust get bigger. that's
why he said not during ny time. In another time
maybe, he said,' Panelo said
'He doesn't want Xo risk the spread 0f addiction
in this country' he added.
lte official said the only way the President
may have another change of heari is if there
v/ould be .definitive findings'to prove the healing
benefits of medical marijuana.
The President, in the past, initially expessed
approval of the use of cannabis for medical
purposes.
Last week, howe\€r, he reneged on his prwious
statement and vowed to block legislative efforts
to legalize medical marduana.
nMaybe
some other time. Some other hesident,
maybe," the Chief Executive said in his speech
at an event in Negros Occidental.
A proposed measure, House Bill 66Il also
called the Philippine Compassionate Medical
Cannabis Act, is pending before the House of
Representatives.
IIe doesn't wed to risk the spread of
addiction in thfu coutry.
It seeks to legalize the use of medical
marduana for debilitating conditions such as
multiple sclerosis, cancer, IIIV/AIDS, neurological
disorders and spinal cord i4juries. .
the poposod lar prescribes rules for the proper
use ofmedical ma.rijuana, including the designation
of a qualified medical cannabis physician, a
qualilied medical cannabis patient who shall be
issued an identi{ication caxd, a qualilied medical
carmabis caregiver ard a qualified nedical carmabis
compassionate c€nter,

u l:)Aq-dr ^€ /