The House Committee on Health has approved a bill seeking to legalize and regulate the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The House panel unanimously endorsed House Bill 180, otherwise known as
the proposed "Philippine Medical Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act,"
following consultations with patients, advocacy groups, health care
practitioners and experts.
The objective of the bill, authored by
Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano, is to legalize and regulate the
medical use of cannabis, found to have beneficial and therapeutic uses
in treating chronic or debilitating medical conditions.
If
enacted into law, the measure will establish Medical Cannabis
Compassionate Centers (MCCC) which are authorized to sell, supply and
dispense cannabis to qualified patients or their caregivers through
S3-licensed pharmacists.
The MCCC is licensed by the Department
of Health based in department-retained hospitals, specialty hospitals
and private tertiary hospitals.
The bill will also provide for
the establishment of the Medical Cannabis Research and Safety Compliance
Facilities mandated to conduct scientific and medical research on the
medical use of cannabis.
The DOH will issue identification cards
to qualified medical patients upon certification from physicians with
whom they have a bona fide relationship as having debilitating medical
condition.
They should also receive therapeutic or palliative benefits
from medical cannabis use.
The department will also provide training for medical cannabis physicians.
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