GAYOSO, Jayvee Clarence G.

2015-07899

Prof. Emil Francis M. Flores

English 10

Legalization of Pharmaceutical Use of Marijuana in the Philippines

Advocacies for the legalization of legal and controlled medical usage of marijuana in the
Philippines gained momentum after the development of legalization of marijuana use in some
states of America for medical and recreational purposes. In response, the Committee on Health
of the House of Representatives started the hearing for passing of the House Bill No. 4477 also
known as The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act filed by Rep. Rodolfo Albano III.
According to a press release by the Congress, the bill states that the State shall legalize and
regulate the medical use of cannabis which has been confirmed to have beneficial and
therapeutic uses to treat chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition and also includes
measures which provides for the establishment under the Department of Health (DOH), of a
Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, which shall regulate the medical use of cannabis in the
country. It shall be headed by a Director-General who shall be appointed by the President of the
Philippines from the list of specialist physicians recommended by the Secretary of Health.
The term medical cannabis refers to the use of marijuana as a herbal therapy. Disabled
World reports that some of the medical benefits people can get from it are relief of muscle
spasms and chronic pain, suppression of nausea, and increase of metabolism but the most
significant reason for the authors of the bill to push it is the antiemetic properties of marijuana.
Therapeutic use of marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures, alleviate chronic pain, relieve
internal eye pressure caused by glaucoma, symptoms of AIDS, side effects of cancer medication,
and even slow down the development of some types of cancer itself. In an interview with the
Philippine Star, Rep. Albano III, the principal author of the bill, said that he sympathizes with the
families of those who suffer from debilitating diseases not only because they have to see their

childs suffering but also because of the huge sums of money they have spent for the
pharmaceutical drugs which are not as effective as the proposed therapeutic marijuana. Aside
from relieving pain, therapeutic marijuana is also linked to elevating mood to prevent anxiety,
depression, or obsession.
Although the bill generally generated positive reactions from the Congress and the
families of the patients affected by chronic diseases who can benefit from the therapeutic usage
of marijuana or cannabis, the proposed law has a major opposition in the Philippine Medical
Association (PMA), Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), Philippine Neurological
Association (PNA), Philippine Psychiatric Association, and other several medical associations.
These groups reasoned out that the measures sought by those who authored the said bill are
already provided by existing regulatory government agencies particularly the Dangerous Drugs
Board and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Representing the group of doctors, Dr. Leonor Cabral-Lim of PNA said that there is no
need for a new law since there was already an administrative order in 1992 by the FDA to let
terminally ill patients to apply for drugs not registered in the Philippines if needed for their
medical treatment. Philippine Daily Inquirer also reported that the doctors also oppose the bill
because aside from the additional expenses it would require and the redundancy of the Medical
Regulatory Agency, the said law will not be as effective as the existing mechanisms.
From a medical standpoint, the doctors are worried about the possible side effects of
using marijuana as a therapeutic drug aside from addiction like psychosis and short-term
memory especially because legalizing it can lead to possible abuse. The group of doctors also
questioned the drug safety since according to them, there are still ongoing clinical trials about it.

They also warned about a possible increase in cases of accidental ingestion of marijuana in the
country like what happened in Colorado where the drug is first legalized in the United States.
Although there are also doubts on their part because of the possibility of drug abuse and
questions about the policies to regulate the drug use, it is fortunate that Department of Health
(DOH) Secretary Janette Garin said that they are very open about the possibility of endorsing the
bill and they will deeply look into it.
The intention of the bill is very good, putting premium on our fellow Filipinos who suffer
from chronic pain and debilitating diseases which do not benefit from the countrys health
services which despite being one of the governments priorities, is still one of the worst
worldwide and this proposed law is a step to improve it. In judging the bill, one should look past
the bad history and reputation of marijuana. Over the years, it has been discovered that while
marijuana is really addictive, it can also help in the medical treatment of diseases mentioned
earlier. The bad effects of this plant are nothing compared to the benefits it can bring. Besides,
being addicted to marijuana, or any other drugs, is due to improper usage and abuse of it which
will not be the case in its medical usage since it will be controlled. In fact, the bill actually
specifies the allowed use of marijuana for medical purposes namely: cachexia or wasting
syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those
characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to
those associated with multiple sclerosis. The following list comes from the press release of the
proposed law.
Of course along with this additional power of the Department of Health come more
responsibilities. The concern of the doctors regarding the regulating policies of marijuana is
understandable given the current situation of the illegal drug control of the country but that alone

should not prevent the passing of the Medical Cannabis Act. Instead of using this as an excuse;
the DOH, along with FDA and Dangerous Drugs Board, should step up to this challenge and
prove their capabilities as government units. The success of the implementation of this law will
bring the country a step closer to a better overall regulation and control of all dangerous drugs
that have been in the underground market of the country for the past years. This can result to the
law being an instrument to solve one of our countrys biggest problems: illegal drug control and
regulation.

Yes, it will also require additional funds to support the project, but for a good cause

like this? The public will surely like it instead of corrupting the money or buying additional
secondhand equipments for public hospitals that will only last for months. Since Department of
Health is one of the priority departments when it comes to the national budget, it will not be hard
for them to access those additional funds, if necessary.
The families of the affected patients that can benefit from medical cannabis would surely
find it hard to agree with the statements of the doctors when it comes to the so called redundancy
of the bill. Whether or not there are already existing procedures similar to the function of the
Medical Cannabis Act, one thing is for sure; it is not effective and a new law is needed for the
said procedures to be done. If those procedures already exist and are effective, then the families
of the affected patients would not clamor for a new law. A perfect example of this is the
Philippine Moms for Marijuana; a group of mothers who push for medical cannabis legalization
because it is hard for them to get access to the plant despite its proven benefits to their children.
As parents, the last thing they want to see is their child suffering and they would do anything to
ease the pain of their child. For them, medical cannabis is the safest and most effective way.

Contrary to the statement of the doctors who oppose the bill, marijuana is actually one of
the safest alternative medicines for antiemetic properties. According to Dr. Lester Grinspoon,
professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School in an interview with International Business Times,
there are no deaths directly related to cannabis use unlike ingesting too much aspirin, and
drinking too much coffee or wine, which can lead to death. So marijuana maybe addictive, but it
is non-lethal unlike other addictive drugs out there. In addition to this, marijuana has far less
side effects unlike other inhibitory drugs, specifically morphine. Cerner Multum, Inc. reports
that misuse or overdose of it can cause severe addiction, slow heart rate, chest pain, dizziness,
stomach pain, and many other body symptoms. It can also cause life-threatening withdrawal
symptoms in a newborn child. Drugs like this are not practical to be given to the patients of
chronic diseases especially most of the target patients are still young.
To further prove the medical benefits of marijuana which many dispute, Dr. Tod
Mikuriya, who is a former national administrator of the U.S. governments marijuana research
programs once said in the documentary film The Union that 200 different medical conditions
have been proven to respond positively to medical cannabis in his past studies. Aside from the
conditions already mentioned; arthritis, Alzheimers disease, hepatitis C, and morning sickness
are some more examples of medical conditions which can be eased thru medical cannabis.
From the perspective of the patients and their families, medical cannabis will be very
helpful especially financially. Since marijuana is not a synthetic drug, money will not be an
issue because it cant be sold by private companies like any of their products because marijuana
is a natural alternative medicine. Instead, the government, like other states in the United States
plan to do, can form a group of willing scientists who can develop the marijuana plant itself to be

readily used by the patients in need. The products can then either be free or sold at much lower
prices than existing pharmaceutical drugs.
Meanwhile, it is unfair to say that the doctors who oppose the proposed law do not care
about the welfare of the patients involved. In fact, it maybe the other way around; that they are
so skeptical about medical cannabis because they care about the safety of the patients. It is
understandable given the bad reputation of the drug and they think that the Philippines is not yet
ready given the existing policies of the law when it comes to dangerous drugs. But like what
was mentioned earlier in the essay; as lawmakers of the country, the solons should look beyond
these factors and think about the broader perspective. It may be a risk, but a risk worth taking
especially if it is for the greater good of the affected Filipino citizens. It is important to be openminded in the possibility of using a drug with a bad reputation like marijuana if there are many
solid evidences that proves its medical benefits. It is right for the doctors to demand an official
study of the government regarding medical cannabis with them as consultants but they should
also remember that for every day that passes, many Filipino patients, most of them children,
suffer from chronic pain and epileptic seizures, hoping that their hardships will end soon. As
much as it is important to be precautious, the government actions should also be convictive and
swift in cases like this where lives of the people are at stake.
In the end, whether you are a doctor or a congressman or an ordinary Filipino citizen, one
thing is sure; you care about the Filipinos who suffer from the mentioned medical conditions.
From what the evidences point out, therapeutic marijuana is the best relief for these Filipinos.
There is actually no such thing as a perfect drug and marijuana also has its bad side; the
possible addiction and side effects will always be there, but these are proven to be non-lethal in
contrast to the existing drugs the patients currently use. One can say that these things cannot

trump the benefits of the drug, both medically and economically. Most of the Filipinos grimace
when they hear the word marijuana but for those Filipino patients who suffer from debilitating
medical conditions, marijuana is equivalent for a new hope; hope to end their own hardships and
their familys as well.

WORKS CITED
Bundang, Rowena. Six Solons Co-author Medical Cannabis Bill. June 2014. House of
Representatives Press Release. 03 December 2015. < http://www.congress.gov.ph/press/
details.php?pressid=7946>
Cerner Multum, Inc. Morphine. 03 December 2015. <http://www.drugs.com/morphine.html>
Diaz, Jess. House Mulls Legalizing Medical Marijuana. August 2015. Philippine Star. 03
December 2015. <http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/12/1487124/house-mullslegalizing-medical-marijuana>
Disabled World. Medical Marijuana: Legalities and Health Condition Uses. 03 December 2015
<http://www.disabled-world.com/medical/pharmaceutical/marijuana/>
Langit, Rey. Is the Philippines Ready for Medical Marijuana? February 2014. Tempo. 03
December 2015. <http://www.tempo.com.ph/2014/02/12/is-the-philippines-ready-formedical-marijuana/>
Smith, Dave. Medical Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits that Legitimize the Legislation. August
2012. International Business Times. 03 December 2015. <http://www.ibtimes.com/
%E2%80%98medical%E2%80%99-marijuana-10-health-benefits-legitimize-legalization742456>
Uy, Jocelyn. Docs Say No to Medical Marijuana. August 2015. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 03
December 2015. <http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/713115/docs-say-no-to-medicalmarijuana#art_disc>