House approves proposed Medical Cannabis Act

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MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed on the third and final reading, a measure legalizing the medical use of marijuana.

On Tuesday’s plenary session, 177 lawmakers voted to approve House Bill No. 10439 or the proposed Access to Medical Cannabis Act, while nine of their colleagues thumbed down the draft measure and nine others abstained.

READ: Advocates hopeful law on medical cannabis to be passed this year

HB 10439 would allow the use of medical cannabis (marijuana), make it accessible to qualified patients, and create a Medical Cannabis Office as a regulatory body.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, one of the sponsors of the measure, emphasized that the bill was only intended to allow patients to have access to marijuana, similar to making pharmaceutical products available to them.

READ: DOH: Law on medical marijuana must be science-based

The chair of the House committee on dangerous drugs said, “By no means is this bill a gateway to the recreational use of cannabis,” as marijuana would remain on the list of dangerous and illegal drugs.

HB 10439 would legalize the use of marijuana for qualified patients with debilitating or nondebilitating medical conditions or symptoms, with access only available through prescription and supervision of an accredited physician.

The draft measure would set the regulations for medical cannabis cultivation, manufacture, and distribution for medical and research purposes, as well as its prescription and dispensation to patients.

The Medical Cannabis Office, which would be under the Department of Health, would oversee implementation, including licensing and enforcement, and work with the Dangerous Drugs Board to ensure compliance with safety and security requirements to prevent the nonmedical or recreational use of marijuana.

A similar measure, the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, was passed on the third and final reading by the House in January 2019, during the 17th Congress.

But after then President Rodrigo Duterte changed his mind about supporting such a bill, the Senate did not pursue its version of that measure.

Last February, the Philippine Medical Association expressed its opposition to HB 10439, saying it would “open the floodgates for the legalization of recreational marijuana.”

Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon also opposed that bill, saying that it was being “railroaded without listening to the medical community.” —with a report from Inquirer Research