A human rights lawyer has supported the proposal of Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa to decriminalize use of illegal drugs in the country.
“While this could be considered as a belated move, we fully welcome the proposed legislation to decriminalize illegal drugs use,” Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) Chairperson Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno said in his social media post.
Diokno pointed out that “drug addiction is a health problem that, according to experts, is addressed through rehabilitation and other humane means.”
He noted that many countries have already implemented such measures and were found to be effective. Drug addition cannot be resolved through violence and imprisonment, he stressed.
“Let us always remember that thousands of deaths in the past administration’s bloody drug war have not solved the problem of illegal drugs, and we must continue to seek accountability for those responsible,” he stressed.
De La Rosa, chairman of the Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee, last Thursday, Nov. 24, said he has filed a bill that seeks to decriminalize illegal drugs use.
However, Dela Rosa said, decriminalization does not include illegal drugs pushing, manufacturing and trafficking.
He pointed out that drug addiction is “not more of a law enforcement problem but more of a health problem.”
At the same time, he said the decriminalization of illegal drugs use would decongest jails in the country.
Before his Senate stint, Dela Rosa was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the administration of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and had been a supporter of the illegal drugs war of the past administration.
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