The Philippine Constitution is the supreme law to which all other laws must conform and in accordance with

which
all private rights must be determined and all public authority administered.
Article 2, Section 4 states that. The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people.
Madame Chair, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon/evening.
Our proposition for tonight is the legalization of Medical Marijuana in the Philippines.
Marijuana or Cannabis also called weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane and a vast number of slang terms,
as defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse , is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and
flowers of Cannabis sativathe hemp plant. Cannabis refers to every kind, class, genus, specie of the plant
Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis Americana, hashish, bhang, guaza, churrus, ganjab and embraces every kind, class and
character of marijuana, whether dried or fresh and flowering, flowering or fruiting tops, or any part or portion of
the plant and seeds thereof, and all its geographic varieties, whether as a reefer, resin, extract, tincture or in any
form whatsoever
Medical Marijuana, although has been commonly used as a recreational drug, has been proven to cure illnesses
such as glaucoma; chronic pain, due of its effect on the central nervous system; muscle spasm such as multiple
sclerosis, HIV AIDS, cancer to which medical marijuana helps in reducing the pain for those undergoing therapies
such as chemotherapy and the likes and stimulates appetite. This will be further discussed by our next speaker.
I together with my team stand that Legalization of Marijuana for Medical purposes is necessary.
For the year 2010 alone, the Department of Health and Philippine Cancer Society reported over 80,000 cancer
cases that made us one of the most number of cancer patients in Asia. In March 2013, the Department of Health
(DOH) AIDS Registry in the Philippines reported that there are 26, 632 individuals reported to have HIV/AIDS. This
was 1 0 % h i g h e r compared to the same period last year (667. With the fast growing numbers, it is essential for
us to give our surviving patients an alternative medicine to cure them or at least ease the pain.
If only we would open ourselves for a new way of treatment we could minimize the number of cancer patients.
Recently it was reported that HIV cases in our country is spreading fast, we can even prevent this if we only allow
ourselves to see the advantages of marijuana. These numbers are alarming that calls for the necessity of Marijuana
for medical purposes. Article 2 Section 15 of our constitution states that The State shall protect and promote the
right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.
Also, it is one of the policies of the state to adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health
development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the
people at affordable cost.
In connection, House Bill no. 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act introduced by Isabela 1st
District Representative Rodolfo Albano III, aims to provide accessible, affordable, safe and medical cannabis to
qualifying patients. Clearly, the bill provides for the regulation of the use of medical marijuana. How will this be
done? The Department of Health a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority will regulate the medical use of
cannabis in the country. The agency will issue registered identification cards to qualified patients as well as
maintain a registry of cannabis patients' caregivers who will assist registered qualified patients. With that being
said, one must be a qualified patient and has a bonafide relationship with a qualified physician and found to have a
debilitating medical condition in order to be allowed to use such medicine.

Bona fide relationship refers to a physician and patient relationship wherein a licensed physician has made a
complete assessment of the patients medical history and current medical condition, including an appropriate
diagnostic and personal physical examination sufficient to determine that the patient is suffering from a
debilitating medical condition
Furthermore, under the bill, medical cannabis and its paraphernalia possessed, owned, or used in connection with
its medical use should not be seized or confiscated unless the dosage exceeds what is prescribed by a qualified
physician.
Another essential point would be the progress in our technology and research especially when Marijuana is found
to be effective for medication.
Under Article 14, Section 10 of our Constitution, provides that Science and technology are essential for national
development and progress. The State shall give priority to research and development, invention, innovation, and
their utilization; and to science and technology education, training, and services. It shall support indigenous,
appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country's
productive systems and national life.
Moreover, in Article 14 Section 12, the State shall regulate the transfer and promote the adaptation of technology
from all sources for the national benefit. Salus populi suprema lex esto, welfare of the people shall be the supreme
law.
One of the testimonies is In February of 2009, doctors told the family of a 14 year-old girl with a particularly
aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the white blood cells, that they had failed at
treating her cancer and there was nothing more they could do. She had already undergone a bone marrow
transplant, aggressive chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Out of options, her parents decided to give cannabis
oil a try after reading research about cannabinoids as potential anti-cancer agents. Over the next 78 days, the
patients blast cell count went from 374,000 near the start of treatment with cannabis oil to less than 2000 by the
last day.
Another case is the six-year-old Charlotte. Charlotte is the miniature miracle who suffered from an untreatable
form of epilepsy and used medical marijuana to cure herself. By the time she was two years old her parents had
literally tried all medications to cure her some which nearly ended in her demise. Enduring some 50 seizures a
night, her parents managed to get her a medical marijuana card in Colorado. After her first dose of high CBD oil her
seizures immediately stopped, her parents claim. She emerged out of her catatonic state and her parents got to
meet her for the first time. Charlotte has since featured on a CNN documentary, documenting her miraculous
story.
We need not be afraid for the recreational use of Marijuana is still considered a crime that is penalized
under our laws. This is no time for us to be selfish. It is just duly right for us to give our surviving patients the
means to longer.