PMA stand on medical marijuana bill ‘inaccurate,’ ‘unscientific’ – group

Marijuana plants for sale are displayed at the medical marijuana farmers market at the California Heritage Market in Los Angeles, California, on July 11, 2014. Filipino medical marijuana advocates described as “inaccurate” and “unscientific” the Philippine Medical Association’s (PMA) stand opposing the proposed law legalizing the medical use of cannabis. (File photo by DAVID MCNEW / Reuters)

MANILA, Philippines — “Inaccurate” and “unscientific” were how advocates criticized the Philippine Medical Association’s (PMA) stand opposing the proposed law legalizing the medical use of cannabis.

Chuck Manansala, president of the Haraya Policy Center, disagreed with the PMA, which had said that the harmful effects of marijuana outweigh its supposed benefits.

“Its sweeping generalizations stand on inaccurate information and unscientific assumptions,” Manansala said in a statement.

On Feb. 7, the joint House committees on dangerous drugs and health approved an unnumbered substitute measure, which is a consolidation of 10 House bills that aims to make use of marijuana for medical use legal in the Philippines.

The bill seeks to create another bureaucratic layer, a Medical Cannabis Office under the Department of Health, to grant accreditation to doctors and other licenses for the medical use of marijuana.

However, the PMA, the umbrella group of nearly 100,000 physicians or a coalition of 21 medical organizations nationwide, asserted that the government has already put in place sufficient regulations for the compassionate use of marijuana. Hence, “there is no need for new legislation to access FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approved medical cannabis for specific indications.”

READ: PMA opposes bill on medical cannabis

It also specifically cited the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, or Republic Act No. 9165, which mandates local scientific studies on cannabis use as a treatment.

It even warned that “the youth are particularly susceptible to developing dependency, which can derail their educational achievements, social relationships, and future endeavors.”

“The medical community supports the use of FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved medical cannabis preparations for specific indications,” it said in a position statement dated Feb. 6.

“Legislation will not be able to catch up with the advances in health technology, and health technology should not be legislated,” it added.

The PMA further stressed that “all legislative bills on the use of cannabis or marijuana other than those approved for specific clinical conditions by the current Philippine FDA should not be passed.”

READ: Medicinal cannabis legalization: It’s high time for the Philippines

Manansala, however, emphasized that it’s “practically impossible” to obtain a Compassionate Special Permit from the FDA and get approval for research for medical marijuana under RA 9165.

“The bills aim to address this problem,” he pointed out.

Manansala asserted that millions of patients worldwide benefit from medical marijuana “without reporting notable adverse consequences to their health.”

“To this date, no one has died from cannabis overdose,” Manansala said while acknowledging that there are only  “isolated cases,” which, he noted, are typically a result of mixing marijuana with alcohol or other toxic substances.

The Haraya Policy Center president likewise said it is “irresponsible” to “[use] the prospect of decriminalization and recreational use as arguments against medical cannabis.”

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House committees on dangerous drugs and health, earlier clarified that the proposed measure would not legalize marijuana. He said that marijuana would remain a prohibited drug under RA 9165.