Albano sees House passage of medical marijuana bill within the week

Smoking and growing marijuana inside private homes will still be illegal even if the bill seeking to legalize medicinal cannabis becomes a law, Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano III said Monday.

"In this bill, we cannot smoke, you cannot grow marijuana as a plant inside your house, and you cannot be in possession in its leaf form," Albano, principal author of the bill, told ANC in an interview.

"It should be processed, it should be in its medicinal form like oil, suppository or tablets," he added.

Albano said they are hoping to pass the bill on third and final reading within the week.

"I have high hopes talaga... na it will be passed today or this week," he said.

The bill seeks  to legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis, found to have beneficial and therapeutic uses in treating chronic or debilitating medical conditions.

If enacted into law, the measure will establish Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers (MCCC) which are authorized to sell, supply and dispense cannabis to qualified patients or their caregivers through S3-licensed pharmacists.

The MCCC is licensed by the Department of Health based in department-retained hospitals, specialty hospitals and private tertiary hospitals.

The bill will also provide for the establishment of the Medical Cannabis Research and Safety Compliance Facilities mandated to conduct scientific and medical research on the medical use of cannabis.  —KBK, GMA News