Rep. Raul V. del Mar of the First District of Cebu City has cautioned his colleagues in Congress from considering House Bill 6517 that would allow access to marijuana.
Del Mar delivered his manifestation on Wednesday, saying that legalizing marijuana, even for medicinal purposes, is divisive to the nation and fraught with danger.
“We need to be careful and study the proposal a lot more. As we in the Visayas and Mindanao say, ‘hinay-hinay lang,’” he said.
Del Mar has taken up some points that must be looked into before the bill is moved further.
He proposed that the bill define marijuana more clearly by including the phrase found in Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 namely, “Cannabis or commonly known as marijuana or Indian hemp or by its any other name.”
Del Mar pointed out the “incongruous purpose” and “awful timing” of the bill.
“Indeed, at a time when so much government effort and resources are used to curb drug addiction, when the issue has rocked and divided the nation, why increase the risk of having more drug addicts through the so-called legalized marijuana? Why add another problem to the heap of problems spawned by illegal drugs?” he said.
Despite the avowed intent to strictly regulate the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, del Mar said people who wish to profit from the project can always find ways to go around the law.
“The purported use of marijuana for medicine could easily lead to use of marijuana for recreation, which inevitably results in the wider spread of drug addiction,” he added.
The Philippine Medical Association issued a statement on November 7 opposing the legalization of medical marijuana, warning the bill “could lead to the diversion of cannabis for recreational use.”
The United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics declared it dangerous and highly addictive. The University of Manila technical working group on medical cannabis has opposed the proposed law, saying it poses a “serious threat” to public health.