The Philippines is not expected to venture into the hemp trade, at least in the next five years, as regulators remained adamant about disallowing its cultivation and use, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (Gain) report.
The Gain report, which was prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (Post), noted that hemp, locally known as marijuana, is not legally cultivated in the Philippines and any production of the plant is “illegally grown.”
“It is a prohibited drug which carries harsh penalties for its importation, sale, manufacture, cultivation, possession and use. Although there are exceptions to hemp imports [i.e., for medicinal use and in some processed forms], trade is minimal,” the report read.
“Post foresees no change in the regulatory environment that would allow hemp trade in the next five years or through 2024,” it added.
Nonetheless, the Gain report noted that hemp is being imported in the country under the classification of HS Code 5302 as true hemp in raw form or processed but not spun, including its tow and wastes, such as yarn waste and garnetted stock.
The country’s hemp imports last year declined by half to 4.51 metric tons worth $7,078, from 8.92 MT valued at $38,231 in 2018, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.
China was the country’s lone supplier of hemp in 2019.
“The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry [DTI], however, maintains hemp is outlawed and imports prohibited,” the report read.
Last week, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) said marijuana use in the country remains illegal for both recreational and medical purposes, and that it is only considering to allow the use of cannabidiol for treating rare forms of epilepsy.
“Cannabidiol or CBD is just one of the hundreds of cannabinoids found in marijuana. It is by far, the only component proved to have medical benefits,” the report read.
“Cultivation and production of marijuana for medical or for any other purposes is still prohibited under RA 9165,” it added. CBD is the active chemical responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects, according to the report.
“The United States Food and Drug Administration has allowed the use and registered the medicine called Epidiolex which is CBD with not more than 0.1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, based on the approved threshold of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency,” the DDB said.