MANILA, Philippines – A law is needed for a full blast study on medical marijuana since is not yet a “registrable product” under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a health official said Wednesday.
Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Eric Domingo issued the statement a day after Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vouched for the effectiveness of medical marijuana and admitted using a marijuana-based pain patch for her spinal condition when she is in a country that allows it.
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“There are several agencies, which include the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, studying the health benefits of marijuana,” Domingo said.
“We cannot go full blast into studying the actual product because it is not listed as registrable product with FDA at this time,” he said.
“The government cannot spend money [on] research on a product that is not registered in the Philippines,” he added.
He said the FDA would “have to wait for an enabling law that will allow it to be a registered product before we can actually consider pouring resources into clinical researches for it.”/gsg
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