Halos P400M halaga ng marijuana sinunog ng PDEA nitong 2014

MANILA, Philippines – Sa patuloy na kampanya ng gobyerno kontra ilegal na droga, umabot sa halos P400 milyong halaga ng marijuana ang sinunog ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) nitong nakaraang taon.

Ayon sa PDEA, umabot sa 506 taniman ng marijuana ang kanilang sinira sa buong bansa, kung saan tinatayang aabot sa P397.04 milyon ang haalga nito.

Dagdag nila na tumaas ng 12.2 porsiyento ang bilang ng mga nasirang marijuana kumpara sa mga nakalipas noong 2013 na 451 taniman ang sinunog ng PDEA..

"From 2010 to 2014, a total of 1,481 marijuana plantation sites, mostly found in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), were eradicated by PDEA and other law enforcement agencies," pahayag ni PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr.

Sinabi pa ni Cacdac na nananatiling ilegal ang paggamit ng marijuana sa kabila ng pagsusulong na gawin itong legal.

"Marijuana is the country’s second drug of choice among drug abusers. Though there is a bill allowing the compassionate use of marijuana for medical purposes waiting to be passed, there is a growing apprehension that if ratified, the bill could be a springboard for the eventual legalization of recreational marijuana in the Philippines," paliwanag ng PDEA chief.

"But as far PDEA is concerned, marijuana remains to be a dangerous drug under Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. We will continue to arrest anyone who is engaged in the sale, trafficking, cultivation and use of the illegal hemp and sustain our intensified efforts to seek and wipe out marijuana plantation sites in the country.”