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Padilla defends medical cannabis bill: Sen. Robinhood Padilla assures that medical cannabis will not be abused with the establishment of the Philippine Medical Cannabis Authority (PMCA), and that the intention of the law is only for medical use and not for recreational. On Wednesday’s plenary session, February 5, 2025, Padilla, as author and sponsor of the bill, defended Senate Bill No. 2573 or the Cannabis Medicalization Act of the Philippines during the period of interpellation. “To be honest, I will admit to you, I am the one putting in the safeguards because I really don't want this to be abused,” Padilla stressed when asked about the possible abuse of the medical cannabis. Under the bill, the PMCA shall be created under the Department of Health (DOH) which shall be the principal regulatory agency in the access and use of medical cannabis and in the implementation of this Act. The PMCA shall have the following powers and functions: a) to formulate and adopt a Comprehensive Cannabis Medicalization Plan; b) to formulate, adopt and implement rules, regulations, and guidelines related to medical cannabis plants, its products and by-products, including but not limited to, propagation, cultivation, planting, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, distribution, dispensing, and patient licenses or prescription; c) to establish and maintain an information system especially to track cannabis growth from seed to sale for monitoring and regulation purposes, among others. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)