House panels revive medical cannabis bill

The House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, jointly with the Committee on Health, on Tuesday, 24 February, again approved a consolidated bill seeking to medicalize cannabis, reviving a measure that has been filed in previous Congresses but has yet to become law.

Under the proposed measure, compassionate access to medical cannabis would be allowed, alongside expanded research and the establishment of a regulatory framework governing its medical use.

At present, under Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, marijuana “cultivation, possession, use, sale, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation” remain punishable.

Cannabis also remains under Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which limits the production, manufacture, export, import, distribution and possession of the substance exclusively to medical and scientific purposes.

The approved bill aims to provide compassionate access to medical cannabis, facilitate scientific research and establish a strict regulatory framework, rather than legalizing recreational marijuana.

The measure proposes the creation of a Medical Cannabis Office under the Department of Health to oversee licensing for cultivation, manufacturing and distribution.

Cannabis would be made available only in pharmaceutical forms, such as oil and capsules, for patients with specific debilitating or chronic medical conditions.

Patients must secure a prescription from a DOH-accredited physician and obtain the medication through licensed Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers.

While authorized for medical use under the proposed measure, cannabis would remain on the list of dangerous drugs under Republic Act No. 9165.

The approval forms part of a long-running effort in Congress to legalize medical marijuana. Previous versions of the bill were passed by the House in earlier Congresses but did not become law.

The measure will now move to the plenary for further debate and voting.