CBCP exec says no to grass

Seedling marijuana plants. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday criticized moves at the House of Representatives to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Health Care executive secretary Fr. Dan Cansino expressed concern about the possible effects the proposed legislation would entail to the society in general and not just to those needing cannabis for medical purposes.

“Legalization of marijuana can lead to more dangerous activities. It’s being abused now that it’s illegal, what more if you make it legal and make it available in the market? More abuses will definitely happen,” said Cansino on Church-run Radio Veritas.

The prelate’s statement came after House Bill 4477, or the “Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act,” filed by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, gained the support of several other lawmakers.

Cansino lamented that legalizing marijuana use would mean more people becoming vulnerable to its various effects to the body.

“We all know marijuana not just affects a person physically but mentally as well,” said Cansino.

Albano had said that the use of marijuana as medicine goes back to thousands of years ago in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine.

“Modern research has confirmed the beneficial uses of cannabis in treating and alleviating the pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV-AIDS as found by the National Institute of Medicine of the US in March, 1999,” Albano said in a statement earlier.

Despite legalizing the medical use of cannabis, the bill prohibits possession and smoking of marijuana and other nonmedical purposes.

It also prohibits using medical marijuana in public and driving a vehicle under the influence of marijuana.

Under the bill, the government should “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.”

The bill refers to diseases that cause the patient to suffer chronic pain, severe nausea and seizure, among others.

The bill also seeks to create a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, which will be under the Department of Health.