Philippine Lawmakers Move to Legalize Medical Cannabis

The Philippines House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday to legalize medical cannabis but the proposal faces an uncertain future in the Senate, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports. The proposal was passed in the House with 177 lawmakers in support, nine in opposition, and nine abstaining from the vote.

If passed, the bill would legalize medical cannabis access for patients with specific qualifying conditions and only

One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, said the bill is intended only to benefit patients; the chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, meanwhile, said the medical cannabis proposal would not be a stepping stone to adult-use legalization — and that cannabis would remain listed as a federally prohibited substance.

“By no means is this bill a gateway to the recreational use of cannabis.” — The committee chair, via the Phillippine Daily Inquirer

The proposal is the second medical cannabis legalization bill passed by the Philippines House but the last proposal — considered by lawmakers in 2019 — ultimately failed in the Senate after then-president Rodrigo Duterte changed his mind on the issue. The Senate is currently considering the issue once more but the reforms are opposed by the Philippine Medical Association. Additionally, key members of the Senate including the president’s sister Imee Marcos have voiced opposition to the proposal, according to a Bloomberg report.

If approved, the Philippines would be the first country in Southeast Asia to pass a medical cannabis legalization bill.

Thailand was the first country in the region to decriminalize cannabis but it stopped short of setting or adopting regulations for the industry.