A senior deputy minority leader strongly opposed on Monday the passage of a measure decriminalizing the use of marijuana.
Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay said the Philippine Medical Association has rejected the House Bill (HB) 6517 outright, declaring marijuana “contrary to the policy of the State to safeguard the well-being of its citizenry.”
“If other countries wish to destroy themselves by enabling medical marijuana, then let them create their own problems. We Filipinos certainly do not want to degenerate into a nation of zombies,” Atienza said.
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HB 6517 Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, which is pending for the second-reading approval, seeks to amend Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which classifies marijuana or cannabis as a dangerous drug.
Currently, marijuana is classified as a prohibited substance, just like methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, cocaine and heroin, under the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
