Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque defended ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s use of the legal painkiller fentanyl, amidst accusations of drug addiction. The controversy ignited after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. linked Duterte’s erratic behavior to fentanyl usage, a claim that Duterte himself admitted in 2016 due to spinal pain but stressed the legality of the substance.
“Legal naman po ang fentanyl,” Roque stated, contrasting it with cocaine, which he pointed out as illegal.
The backdrop of this dispute traces back to Duterte’s revelation of using fentanyl for spinal pain, where he once used a full patch instead of the prescribed quarter, describing the experience as “paradise.”
This confession resurfaced after Duterte accused Marcos of being “high” and allegedly being on a drug watch list during his term, a claim Marcos dismissed and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency refuted.
As the controversy unfolds, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration clarifies that while fentanyl is indeed legal and commonly used for pain relief and anesthesia, it also carries risks of side effects such as euphoria, confusion, and respiratory depression.