Indopedia All Things Marijuana
A Philippine legislative committee has approved a controversial measure to allow medical cannabis in the country. The “Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act,” which would legalize cannabis extracts to be used for medicinal purposes under strict government regulation, was endorsed by the House Committee on Health this week.
The author of the bill, Representative Rodolfo Albano, clarified that the bill will not allow the production, use, or sale of cannabis in its plant form. The bill would create centers within local hospitals where medical cannabis would be sold and used. These centers would be licensed by the country’s Department of Health and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The bill would establish training for doctors who wish to prescribe medical cannabis, and set up a program of patient registration cards similar to state-legal U.S. medical marijuana programs. In addition, the bill would create a new research facility dedicated to researching the medical benefits of cannabis.
Regardless of whether the bill passes or not, recreational cannabis use remains heavily prohibited in the country. President Rodrigo…
