Passing a bill brings a different kind of high.
“Isabela Rep. Rodolfo ‘Rodito’ Albano III has declared that he will continue pushing for the passage of his measure, House Bill 4477 or ‘The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill,’ which seeks to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes,” reports Charissa Luci in Manila Bulletin.
Albano said, “Despite strong opposition against HB 4477, I am still going to push for its passage. I am just getting more signatures. Now, it’s 50 plus and counting.”
The report noted: “Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had expressed doubt that HB 4477 will hurdle this 16th Congress, saying that the Lower Chamber will not pass measure that seeks to ‘legalize something that can alter the mind.'”
The report pointed out that members of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) are also opposing Albano’s HB 4477, saying that “it is our moral and ethical responsibility to safeguard the safety of our patients.”
However, Albano said that his measure “contains very stringent control provisions on the use of medical marijuana to prevent any abuse and harm patients legally allowed or authorized by doctors to use it.”
For starters, as the report explained, “HB 4477 calls for the creation of a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority which is tasked to issue registry identification cards to qualified patients and caregivers.” The Department of Health (DOH) will be tasked to regulate the medical use of cannabis.
Also under HB 4477, a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center, which will be registered with the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, will be licensed to “acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, sell, supply and dispense cannabis, paraphernalia or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients.”
HB 4477 dictates that “qualified patients will be allowed access to the use of medical marijuana only through the Center, according to the measure.”
Photo: Laurie Avocado (WikiCommons)
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