Tan, John Lester A.

1E1
Atty. Jose C. Montemayor, Jr., M.D., LL.M., MBA
HOUSE BILL NO. 4477
AN ACT
REGULATING THE MEDICAL USE OF CANNABIS, ESTABLISHING
FOR THE PURPOSE THE MEDICAL CANNABIS REGULATORY
AUTHORITY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Section 2 of the bill provides that it is the policy of the State is to provide
measures to achieve a balance in the national drug control program so that the patients
with debilitating medical condition may receive adequate amount of treatment and
appropriate medications from the regulated use of dangerous drugs.
Toward this end, 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 that produces one or more of the
following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea;
seizure, including but not limited to those characteristics of epilepsy; or severe and
persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple
sclerosis.
The legalization of the medical marijuana would benefit the registered patients to
cure their sicknesses which require the use of the Cannabis. With this act, it could cure
several diseases in which other medications could not treat. This medical marijuana
should not be interpreted and categorized as a dangerous drug as provided in
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Basically speaking, the bill does not run counter to the
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which classifies marijuana as a dangerous drug. This
country should legalize Cannabis as a cure, and not as dangerous drug. It is crystal

clear that the said law recognized the use of medical drugs. As provided in the wordings
of the law, Section 2 of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 states that the government
shall, however, aim to achieve a balance in the national drug control program so that
people with legitimate medical needs. The Cannabis is utilized for medical purposes
only as the intent of the House Bill. It even defined the word medical use in the bill in
order to for the lawmakers to know the intention of the bill. Such definition describes
some of the sicknesses that can be cured by the herbal plant. It is indeed medical in
nature, and not on any harmful aspects. The text of the bill itself described the reason
and the purpose of the bill. Once legalized here in the Philippines, the government
would have lesser problems on dealing with some serious diseases which do not have
an effective cure. The text of the bill also stated that such medical marijuana would be
regulated by the proper authority with the appointment of the President of the
Philippines and recommendation of the Secretary of the Department of Health. With this
structure, it is rest assured that violators of this Act, especially to those who will take
advantage and use in the unlawful manner, shall be prosecuted. It is indeed according
to the Committee for Dangerous Drugs, Cannabis is one of the most used illegal drugs
(because it is not yet legalized) in the Philippines. In recent years, Cannabis has held
second place, trailing just behind Methamphetamine, which in the Philippines commonly
called Shabu. Given this fact provided by the Committee, the lawmakers should
consider this survey and thus legalize this medical marijuana. The bill is even clear for
the steps to obtain this medical marijuana. The said medical marijuana is not easily
accessible to the ones who need it thus lessening the risk of taking advantage to it
especially the drug addicts. In addition, the intention of the author of the bill was only
pushing for medical marijuana and not for smoking or selling it like cigarettes. These are
indeed two conflicting big things. It is a guarantor that the said medical marijuana would
be sold under the close supervision of the Department of Health. No person would have
easy access on this medical marijuana without securing proper registration and health
check.
It is indeed that research about the medical use of Cannabis is effective in
several countries and this legalized for such use. It is very evident that these researches
are reliable in other countries so why not legalize this medical marijuana basing on

these modern studies conducted by the experts. This country should therefore join the
other liberalized countries which legalize this type of marijuana. This country should be
competitive enough to be belonged to these classes of countries which legalize such.
Aside from the fact that this medical marijuana would benefit registered patients, this
plant would also benefit the economy of our country. It would greatly increase the import
and export of this marijuana from the other country. Thus, the government would impose
taxes on this medical marijuana enabling them to provide easy and accessible basic
social services to the public. The medical marijuana would not be for the benefit of
youth and children unless underwent to the proper procedure to avail such in order to
cure their sicknesses. It is not an easy gateway for them to abuse this kind of medical
marijuana.
As a law student, I highly commend the author of the bill only to take initial steps
for the pressure to change our laws, and not only to stick to the existing laws of this
country and that is the prosecution for the illegal possession of dangerous drugs. Why
not serve this legalization of medical marijuana as for a good investment in the future?
There will come the time that once a certain disease is not anymore curable by any
medications, one will rely on the use of medical marijuana as the only effective and
alternative medication. We must be open to the positive effects of this herbal plant and
not look into its negative effects which pave the way for the rejection of the bill. We must
take time to study the real intentions of the authors of this bill which is for the benefit of
registered patients not having the sufficient means to be cured by any other
medications. The people must be liberal enough to open their minds the good effects of
the herbal plant. This misconception on the medical marijuana must be corrected so as
not to cause panic among Filipinos and give the measure a chance to be passed and
implement in the country. The major cause of opposition against the bill is that many
people think that it also seeks to legalize the recreational use of Cannabis.
Therefore, the Philippines should legalize Cannabis as a medical marijuana.