"Medical marijuana, yes, because it is really an ingredient of modern medicine now. There are medicines right now being developed or already in the market that (contain) marijuana as a component but used for medical purposes," he said in a press conference.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III has filed House Bill No. 04477 otherwise known the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act in May 2014. Since then, health and religious sectors have expressed their views on the issue.
Philippine Medical Association, however, said that there is a lack of scientific evidence to prove that marijuana usage is beneficial for some conditions. While the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said that they support the use of medical marijuana for the terminally-ill.
While Duterte OK's medical marijuana, he reiterated that recreational marijuana is still prohibited and anyone caught using it will be apprehended.
“Yung maghithit ka lang diyan (na) parang sigarilyo (But if you would smoke it like a cigarette), I will not allow it ever…It remains to be a prohibited item and there’s always a threat of being arrested, or if you choose to fight the law enforcement agency, you die,” Duterte said.
He even said that he has seen its ill effects during his younger days when is friends got high on marijuana.
Marijuana remains illegal in the Philippines. Anybody who is found guilty of possessing or using marijuana, even for medical purposes, could serve time in prison.
Source: CNN Philippines Inquirer
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