PDEA backs Miss U Catriona Gray’s position favoring marijuana use for medicinal purposes

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has backed the position of newly crowned Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray that the use of marijuana should be limited to medical use and not for recreational purposes.

PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon was responding to Gray’s answer in one of the questions thrown at her during the Miss Universe 2018 competition quizzing her if she was in favor of legalizing marijuana use.

The 24-year-old Filipina said, “I'm for being used in medical use but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people were to argue, 'what about alcohol and cigarettes?' So everything is good but in moderation. Thank you.” That answer landed her a spot in the Final 3 en route to the Miss Universe 2018 crown.

“Miss Universe [Catriona Gray] herself said no to recreational use, and that is our same stand. Because recreational use are those who consume the plant or any part of it,” Carreon said in an interview.

“If you are a doctor, you don’t say [to the patient] you take one stick [of marijuana] a day. It is not the case. You don’t use the plant or a part of it for medicine. It is in controlled amount, extracted, in a tablet, capsule or vial. If it is [a case of] a medical preparation, [served] with minimal amounts, then logically there is good use for it because it has already been proven in certain studies,” Carreon added.

Marijuana is still a banned substance in the country.

President Rodrigo Duterte has recently said he uses marijuana as a "killing activity" to help him sleep. He would later clarify that his statement was just a joke.

The centerpiece policy of the Duterte administration is its war on drugs which has already killed at least 5,050 drug suspects as of November 30 this year based on PDEA and police records. — MDM, GMA News