Lagman: If drug war is serious, Duterte shouldn’t joke about marijuana use

President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent joke on using marijuana, a prohibited substance, proves that the drug war is a fatal failure, opposition lawmakers said Tuesday.

Representatives Edcel Lagman of Albay and Tom Villarin of Akbayan party-list issued their remarks following the comments made by President Duterte on Monday night where he admitted to taking marijuana to keep him awake during international conferences, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit last month.

The President, however, was quick to take it back in a subsequent interview and dismissed his earlier statement as a joke.

“Whether it is a joke or not, it is beside the point. The fact stares us in the face: the drug war is a failure and has cost thousands of lives, especially those from the marginalized and poor sectors,” Lagman said at a press conference.

“Besides, if we are serious about fighting the illegal drugs, we should not be joking about taking marijuana,” Lagman added.

Based on police records, at least 4,900 suspects have been killed under the police’s anti-drug operations.

But recently, the case of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos resulted in the conviction of three police officers responsible for the teenager’s death — Police Officer 3 Arnel Oares and Police Officers 1 Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz.

These policemen initially claimed that Delos Santos was selling drugs and resisted arrest, but CCTV footage in the crime scene showed Delos Santos being dragged by the Caloocan cops in a dark alley without resistance.

Villarin, for his part, noted that the President’s slip of the tongue is an admission that drug use is a health issue and not an issue of enforcing the law.

“It was an admission from the President that drug use should be addressed from a health perspective. Indeed, marijuana can be used by those suffering from chronic pain,” Villarin said.

“Hindi naman dapat ikinahihiya ang paggamit ng marijuana for medicinal purposes,” he added.

Both Lagman and Villarin are authors of the Medical Marijuana bill which legalizes marijuana use for medicinal purposes.

The bill, however, has yet to be approved in the House. — RSJ, GMA News