Medical Marijuana Bill ni Robin, Malaking Panalo sa Pasyente at Gobyerno

Malaking panalo sa pasyenteng Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng murang gamot - at pati na rin sa pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng karampatang buwis - kung maging batas ang panukala ni Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla para gawing legal ang medical marijuana.

Iginiit ito ni Dr. Donnabel Cunanan, tagapagsalita ng Philippine Cannabis Compassion Society, sa kanyang pagsuporta sa agarang pagpasa sa Senate Bill 230 ni Padilla.

"Gusto namin ito ay locally ma-produce na natin sa ating bansa, para eventually that's the only way na maging affordable sa ating mamamayan," ani Cunanan sa panayam sa DZRJ nitong Miyerkules.

"On behalf of PCCS, muli ang aming pasasalamat sa ating baguhang senador na si Sen. Robin Padilla sa kanyang initiative at tapang at boldness na ihain ang Senate bill na ito. Maraming salamat mula sa pasyente," dagdag niya.

Ang PCCS na itinatag noong 2013 ay may 70,000 hanggang 80,000 miyembro. Isinusulong nito ang paggamit ng "safe and available" na medical marijuana sa Pilipinas.

Ipinunto ni Cunanan na malaking tulong ang medical marijuana para sa pain management ng cancer patients; at pati na rin sa mga nagdurusa sa insomnia at epilepsy at iba pang "debilitating medical condition."

Dagdag niya, ang medical marijuana ay hindi synthetic drug na may maraming side effects. Binanggit niya ang kaso ng anak niya na may pancreatitis bilang side effect ng matinding synthetic drugs.

Samantala, ipinunto ni Dr. Gem Marq Mutia, founder ng Philippine Society of Cannabinoid Medicine, na panalo rin ang ating gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng karampatang buwis kung sa Pilipinas gagawin ang produktong galing sa medical marijuana - at pwedeng gamitin ito para sa karagdagang pag-research sa medical cannabis.

"Ang kagandahan, imbes na mapunta sa ibang bansa ang kita, mapupunta sa tax ng gobyerno. Pwedeng gamitin bilang pag-aral at pag-research lalo sa medical cannabis," aniya.

Isinulong ni Padilla sa kanyang Senate Bill 230 na payagan sa Pilipinas ang paggamit ng medical marijuana o cannabis at sa mas malawak na pananaliksik dito bilang gamot.

Nguni't iginiit din ni Padilla na dapat magkaroon ng parusa sa pag-abuso ng marijuana. May mga safeguards ang panukalang batas para tiyaking hindi maaabuso ang marijuana.

Robin's Medical Marijuana Bill A Big Win for Patients, Government

A big win for patients suffering from debilitating conditions in the form of cheaper medication, and a win as well for the government in the form of appropriate revenues.

These are the double benefits of Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla's bill seeking to legalize the use of medical marijuana, according to prominent doctors seeking the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.

"Gusto namin ito ay locally ma-produce na natin sa ating bansa, para eventually that's the only way na maging affordable sa ating mamamayan (We want medical marijuana to be locally produced. Eventually that's the only way to make it affordable to Filipinos)," Dr. Donnabel Cunanan, spokesperson of the Philippine Cannabis Compassion Society, said in her support of Padilla's Senate Bill 230, in an interview on DZRJ radio on Wednesday.

"On behalf of PCCS, muli ang aming pasasalamat sa ating baguhang senador na si Sen. Robin Padilla sa kanyang initiative at tapang at boldness na ihain ang Senate bill na ito. Maraming salamat mula sa pasyente (Again, we in the PCCS thank Sen. Padilla for his initiative and boldness in filing this Senate bill. Thank you on behalf of patients suffering from debilitating conditions)," dagdag niya.

The PCCS was established in 2013, and currently has 70,000 to 80,000 members. It is seeking to make medical marijuana "safe and available" in the Philippines.

Cunanan said medical marijuana will be a big help in pain management for cancer patients; as well as for those suffering from insomnia and epilepsy and other "debilitating medical conditions."

She added medical marijuana is not a synthetic drug with side effects, as she cited the case of her child who is suffering from pancreatitis as a side effect of synthetic medicines.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gem Marq Mutia, founder of the Philippine Society of Cannabinoid Medicine, said the government will also win from Padilla's bill via appropriate revenues once medical marijuana is manufactured in the Philippines.

In turn, he said the government can channel the revenues for further research on medical cannabis.

"Ang kagandahan, imbes na mapunta sa ibang bansa ang kita, mapupunta sa tax ng gobyerno. Pwedeng gamitin bilang pag-aral at pag-research lalo sa medical cannabis (What is good is that instead of the revenues going to other countries if we import products based on medical marijuana, the revenues can go to our government - which in turn can channel the revenues for further research on medical marijuana)," he said.

Padilla's Senate Bill 230 seeks to legalize the use of medical marijuana or cannabis and further research on it. The bill also includes safeguards against the abuse of marijuana.