MOTION: That the Philippines should allow the use of medical marijuana.

Status Quo: marijuana is totally banned in the phils.

GRAVE PROBLEM in the status quo: the problem with that is even the possible beneficial
effects of allowing it for medical purposes is banned.

Parameter: limited to medical benefits of marijuana on leading causes of death; leading causes of
death will be limited to coronary heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes
Definition:
Standards: ano mas effective and efficient (conventional meds vs. mj)
Goal:

Note: prevention is better than cure (Alzheimer’s disease)

MJ is both a cure and prevention. They say prevention is better than cure. However, marijuana
says, why not both?

(parameter)Argument 2: medical mj should be legalized in order to properly addressed the

leading causes of death (cancer, alzheimer’s…) (focus on the med benefits of top 4/5 leading
causes of death)

Leading causes of death: according to WHO and DOH

1. coronary heart disease
- A 2014 study conducted by Dr. O’Sullivan at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine
and published in the journal Pharmacological Research noted that “cannabinoids affect blood
vessels by causing them to relax and widen” (very similar to how cannabis, even smoked, acts as
a bronchodilator for asthma patients) This study was the first research to reveal this response in
human tissue samples. This is significant because relaxation of blood vessels results in lower
blood pressure and better circulation, both of which prevent heart disease and heart attacks.
(https://www.massroots.com/learn/cannabis-heart-disease)

- According to a british journal entitled Vascular targets for cannabinoids: animal and
human studies written by Stanley and Sullivan,
“In both animal and human studies, cannabinoids have been found to cause blood vessels to
vasodilate, improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. It also found that marijuana use
before a heart attack may improve survival rate while in the hospital. CBD specifically has
shown to be a vasodilator, allowing for greater blood flow and reducing the damage to arterial
walls and lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. This vasodilator effect has been shown to
help normalize blood pressure.”

2. Cancer
- Recently, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the federal government sponsored
agencies, found out that Marijuana can and has killed cancer cells.
In its study, it found out that:

 Cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth,
and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory
and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while
protecting normal cells.
 Cannabinoids may protect against inflammation of the colon and may have potential in
reducing the risk of colon cancer, and possibly in its treatment.
 A laboratory study of cannabidiol (CBD) in estrogen receptor positive and estrogen
receptor negative breast cancer cells showed that it caused cancer cell death while having
little effect on normal breast cells. Studies of metastatic breast cancer showed that
cannabinoids may lessen the growth, number, and spread of tumors.
3. HIV/AIDS
- A 2005 survey conducted on 523 HIV-positive patients entitled, Cannabis Use in HIV for Pain
and Other Medical Symptoms, found that 143 (27%) of the respondents used cannabis to manage
their symptoms; of those, an overwhelming 97% reported that they experienced improvements in
appetite.
- moreover, such study found out that 93% of HIV-positive cannabis users reported subjective
improvements in nausea after using cannabis.
- Anxiety, depression and mood disorders are a common feature of HIV/AIDS, and can arise due
to a combination of negative physiological, psychological and social pressures. The 2005 patient
survey found that 93% of respondents experienced relief of anxiety after using cannabis, while
86% reported an improvement in depression too.
- A specific and particularly common form of pain associated with HIV/AIDS is peripheral
neuropathy, in which one or more nerves of the peripheral nervous system (any part of the
nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord) become damaged and lead to pain, twitching,
paresthesia, muscle loss and impaired coordination. It has been shown that cannabis can help
improve symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in HIV/AIDS, as well as in other conditions in
which it appears, such as diabetes.
-moreover, due these positive effects of cannabis to HIV/AIDS patients, Colorado-based
Cannabis Science recently announced its expansion into California. Cannabis Science is teaming
up with several laboratories and such partnership will focus on creating cannabinoid-based drugs
where the current medicine for HIV fall short. This definitely shows a bright future for those
HIV/AIDS patients.

4. Diabetes (type 1 and type 2)

Diabetes is associated with high levels of fasting insulin (Type 1) and insulin resistance (Type 2).
In 2013, the results of a five-year study into the effects of cannabis on fasting insulin and insulin
resistance were published in the American Journal of Medicine. Of the 4,657 respondents, 2,554
had used cannabis in their lifetime (579 were current users and 1,975 were past users) and 2,103
had never used the drug.

The researchers found that current users of cannabis had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than
respondents who had never used cannabis, as well as having 17% lower levels of insulin
resistance and higher levels of Good cholesterol.
The study concludes that the use of cannabis helps normalize the reproduction of insulin in a
person’s body which in turn stabilizes the blood sugar.

Argument 1:
Legalization of Marijuana for medical purposes is beneficial to people suffering from various
illnesses. This fact has been proven by other countries when they legalized marijuana for medical
purposes.

For instance, in late 2013, Romania approved the use of medicines containing marijuana
derivatives to help ease patients' pain. Conditions include epilepsy, cancer, and multiple
sclerosis.

Following a pilot program in 2014, the Chilean President signed a decree in 2015 that allows for
the Institute of Public Health to manufacture cannabis for medical purposes, which includes the
treatment of cancer, refractory epilepsy, and chronic pain derived from arthritis and multiple
sclerosis. This new medical marijuana initiative is expected to help approximately 4,000 Chilean
patients.

The country with longest experience of cannabis use is the Netherlands, where physicians have
been able to prescribe cannabis preparations for patients for more than 10 years. Through this
policy, the physicians have been able to properly addressed their patient’s illnesses and at the
same time, the patients are given more options to deal with their sickness.

These are just ‘some’ of the many countries which have legalized medical marijuana and have
witnessed its progressive benefits and effects.
These are just ‘some’ of the many countries which have legalized medical marijuana and have
witnessed its progressive benefits and effects. And through legalizing medical marijuana, the
Philippines can be one of them.

As to my last point: medical mj should be legalized in order to properly addressed the leading
causes of death -cite paragraphs mo or studies

So this house limits the point of discussion in legalizing med mj only to address the leading
causes of death chuchu. (Eto na apraneter)
In sum: the phils should legalize the use pf med mj

Scientists have identified many biologically active components in marijuana. These are
called cannabinoids. The two best studied components are the chemicals delta-9-
tetrahydrocannabinol (often referred to as THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). Other cannabinoids
are being studied. (parameter)
Conventional drugs:

Studies show that as pain killers, marijuana is more preferable because the ordinary ones or the
prescribed painkillers resulted to death due to over dosage. Unlike marijuana, there are no such
reported incidents.