Medical marijuana won’t be sold over the counter — lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — Medicinal marijuana will not be available over the counter in drugstores if the bill allowing it becomes a law, one of the measure’s authors said yesterday.

“The House of Representatives has put enough safeguards so abuses can be avoided. The only places where prescribed medical cannabis will be available are Department of Health (DOH) hospitals as well as tertiary and private hospitals licensed for medical marijuana purposes,” Rep. Ron Salo of party-list group Kabayan said.

Salo said only doctors licensed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency could issue prescriptions for medical marijuana “for very specific conditions and purposes based on their expert diagnosis.”

“There will be licensed medical cannabis caregivers who will be issued special identification cards by the DOH secretary. Medical cannabis patients will be issued special IDs. The caregiver can attend to only one patient at any time. Simply put, once approved into law, medical marijuna would be strictly regulated,” he stressed.

On Wednesday, the House unanimously approved on second reading the medical marijuana bill, whose principal author is Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III. 

“I laud Congressman Albano for championing the cause of those afflicted with debilitating diseases whose sufferings can be alleviated through the responsible use of medical cannabis,” Salo said.

He said the proposed law would “provide compassion and better quality of life to patients suffering from debilitating medical conditions such as cachexia, seizures epilepsy or severe and persistent muscles spasms, including those associated with multiple sclerosis.”

Albano said his bill does not seek to allow the use of marijuana for recreational purposes.

“That will continue to be prohibited. We are not proposing that the prohibition be lifted,” he said.

He said there have been studies in the United States and other developed countries attesting to the medicinal benefits of marijuana.

Albano added that Filipinos with debilitating medical conditions should not be denied such benefits.