DILG: Legalizing medical marijuana should be carefully studied

The proposed measure legalizing the use of medical marijuana should be carefully studied as it might be prone to abuse, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos said Saturday.

Abalos made the remark after a group of parents called for the passage of a law that will give them easier access to affordable cannabis products without the risk of getting jailed.

“Well siguro pag-aralan muna maigi kasi alam mo nakakatulong talaga. May kaibigan ako na ganyan. Pero of course baka abusuhin ito (sic),” the DILG chief said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restobar in Quezon City.

The Cabinet official feared that it could be a “gateway drug.”

“Well actually ganun talaga ang mangyayari… but again you look at first, pag-aralan muna natin maigi ito,” he said.

“Let's just make sure it's airtight. Otherwise, kawawa ang mga bata,” he added.

Dr. Donnabel Trias-Cunanan, president and spokesperson of Cannahopefuls Inc., spoke before the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Demography, which is tackling Senate Bill 230 or An Act Granting Access to Medical Cannabis as a Compassionate Alternative Means of Medical Treatment.

Cunanan has been advocating for the medical use of cannabis since 2013 after her child was diagnosed with an intractable form of epilepsy, global developmental delay, and cerebral palsy.

Although they completed all the requirements, Cunanan said they can only buy medicine that costs $32,000 because this is the only drug that meets the specific guidelines set by the Food and Drugs Administration. — DVM, GMA Integrated News