CBCP: Marijuana ‘justifiable’ for cancer patients

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) clarified reports yesterday that it is opposed to the legalization of marijuana.

“Catholic health care ethics in fact consider as morally justifiable the use of marijuana for terminal cancer patients in severe pain,” CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a statement.

He noted that the provisions of Republic Act 9165, the comprehensive dangerous drugs law, allow the regulated prescription and use of such substances like marijuana as part of pain management for medical conditions such as terminal cancer.

Villegas added that what the CBCP is concerned “about (is) the surreptitious introduction of dangerous and addicting substances and making them legally readily available to those prone to addiction.”

Last week, Pope Francis railed against legalizing recreational drugs, saying it was wrong that addicts were still allowed access to drugs.

The pontiff spoke out a month after Uruguay legalized the production and sale of cannabis, allowing individuals to grow their own stash and establishing consumer clubs.

In the United States, Colorado and Washington state have legalized pot for recreational use while 21 states plus Washington DC allow marijuana to be prescribed for medical use.