Philippines: Gloria Arroyo files bill seeking to allow use of cannabis for medical purposes

Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga second district Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has filed a bill proposing to allow  the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

In House Bill 7817, which has been referred to the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Arroyo cited that the use of cannabis as medicine dates back 2,500 to 10,000 years ago “in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine.”

“In the Philippines, thousands of patients suffering from serious and debilitating diseases will benefit from legalizing the medical use of cannabis,” Arroyo said.

The former Philippine leader cited a report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2012 that showed that 98,200 new cancer cases are diagnosed in a year in the country while 59,000 are dying of cancer annually.

Arroyo also mentioned that although chemotherapy treatments are covered by the PhilHealth in some cases, “patients who are not eligible still have out of pocket expenses for chemotherapy treatments.” Such treatments range from P36,000 to P180,000 for the standard 6 cycles.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/869830/gloria-arroyo-files-bill-seeking-to-allow-use-of-cannabis-for-medical-purposes/story/

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