The House of Representatives approved on second reading on Wednesday a bill seeking to provide access to medical cannabis.
House Bill 10439 permits the use of cannabis for medical purposes to treat qualified patients with specific medical conditions or symptoms. Access will be granted only by prescription and under the supervision of an accredited medical cannabis physician.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, House Committee on Dangerous Drugs chairperson, highlighted the medical conditions addressed by medical cannabis, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sleep disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, and chronic pain.
“The healing benefit of medical cannabis is backed by research from countries with the most advanced technology and state-of-the-art research capacities,” Barbers stated.
He emphasized that without medical marijuana legislation, the country misses “a valuable opportunity to save, or at the very least, improve the lives of countless patients who could have benefited from the healing wonders of medical cannabis.”
“To this day, patients suffering from debilitating illnesses and fighting to get cannabis-based benefits could only hope that our government will one day consider their plight and make cannabis available to them legally,” Barbers added.
The bill will establish a regulatory framework for the cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution of medical cannabis for medical and research purposes, including its prescription and dispensing to patients.
Additionally, the measure seeks to create a regulatory body called the Medical Cannabis Office (MCO), which will oversee the implementation of the bill once enacted.
