FDA CHIEF SAYS HE’S OPEN TO MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA IN PH

By Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — The chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is open to the use of marijuana or cannabis whether for medical use in the Philippines.

“My take is medicine is an innovation, we cannot guarantee na ito lang po tayo at darating sa future eh wala na, hanggang dito na lang,” FDA Director General Dr. Samuel Zacate said.

“My take on marijuana is that I am open Filipinos must have a wide range of therapeutic indications, drug of choice so ako po ay for the record, to the Food and Drug Administration, as the director general is very much open for the marijuana as long as this has been streamlined as long as di makakasama sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.

Zacate said that the legislators will decide on whether to allow the use of marijuana for medical use.

Earlier, the joint House Committees on Dangerous Drugs and Health approved the substitute bill to allow the use of cannabis or marijuana for medicine.

Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers, head of the committee on dangerous drugs panel, said that marijuana will only be allowed to be used as medicine but it will remain on the list as an illegal drug by the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act or Republic Act 9165.

(el Amigo/MNM)