License needed to plant marijuana for medicine, says ex-solon

Policemen unload marijuana plants uprooted from a plantation in Toledo City. —FERDINAND R. EDRALIN / CEBU DAILY NEWS

BAGUIO CITY—A former lawmaker, who first discussed the possibility of legalizing marijuana for its medicinal value in 2004, said weed farmers would need to be licensed and monitored if the government decides to go in this direction.

Lawyer Solomon Chungalao was Ifugao representative when he proposed a bill legalizing marijuana. It drew flak from the church and conservative sectors.

Now that the marijuana debate has been reopened, Chungalao outlined how he would have regulated what is an illegal drug.

“Farmers intending to plant and produce marijuana must first apply for a license from the appropriate government agency tasked to oversee it. The area proposed for plantation must be specifically delineated, identified by survey and if possible, fenced,” he said.

According to Chungalao, the government must have a comprehensive accounting system so the number of marijuana harvested must match with the number of seedlings planted.

“Any wide discrepancy from what was planted and harvested must be explained sufficiently by the farmer. If there is no sufficient and believable explanation on the discrepancies, the license can be revoked and the farmer can be criminally charged in court,” he said.

“All production of marijuana should be sold only to specifically licensed pharmaceutical companies authorized to manufacture medicine out of marijuana,” he said. —VINCENT CABREZA