Health reform advocate opposes marijuana legalization

An independent health reform advocate on Monday, 18 August, declared opposition to the legalization of marijuana in the Philippines.

In a statement sent to DAILY TRIBUNE, Dr. Tony Leachon argued that marijuana, in any form, "carries the risk of deceptive use and moral ambiguity."

"When its presence in the Senate triggers alarm, it is illogical and irresponsible to push for its normalization among the public. The inconsistency undermines public trust and exposes a troubling double standard: one rule for the governed, another for the governing," Leachon said.

"How can lawmakers endorse a substance for public use that they themselves deem dangerous enough to warrant internal surveillance and testing? This is not just counterintuitive—it is emblematic of a deeper institutional dissonance," he added.

Leachon made the statement after Camarines Sur Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte refiled a measure seeking to allow Filipinos suffering from epilepsy and other debilitating illnesses to use a non-addictive strain of the marijuana plant as a legal and relatively more affordable pain reliever.

Villafuerte said House Bill 420 also aims to establish the Medical Cannabis Office, under the Department of Health, as the primary regulatory, administrative, and monitoring agency.

The lawmaker also assured the bill "outlines the role of the Food and Drug Administration in ensuring compliance with health and safety standards and of the Commission on Higher Education in integrating medical cannabis education into relevant tertiary degree programs."

Separately, Senator Robin Padilla, sharing Villafuertes' view on legalizing marijuana for medical use in the country, said the plenary "should start the debate forthwith on the issue of medical marijuana."

This after Padilla's aide, Nadia Montenegro, was accused of cannabis use inside the Senate premises.

Montenegro, who tendered her resignation on 18 August, denied this, claiming that what other Senate staff had reported to the Senate's security personnel was possibly her "vape."

Meanwhile, Leachon supported Senate Minority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's call for mandatory random drug testing in the Senate, noting that it is a "necessary step toward restoring integrity and discipline in public service."

"His appeal rightly emphasizes the values of morale, efficiency, and courtesy expected of civil servants," he continued.

The Philippine Medical Association has also expressed formal opposition to the House Bill, stating that it would “open the floodgates for the legalization of recreational marijuana."