Marijuana plant

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte says solons should finish their prolific 19th Congress by passing the measure allowing the use of medical cannabis or marijuana.

“If all goes well, this Congress can cap its record feats in its third and final session by at last writing a long-proposed law legalizing the use of medical cannabis as an alternative, relatively more affordable pain reliever for Filipinos hurting from excruciating ailments like cancer, epilepsy, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” Villafuerte said. 

Villafuerte has led proposals to legalize the use of cannabis oil (cannabidiol or CBD) for medical purposes in the previous two Congresses. 

Given that the House of Representatives already passed House Bill (HB) No. 10439 in 2024 yet, Villafuerte said: “I am keeping my hopes up that last year’s recognition by a UN (United Nations) commission of the medical value of CBD will prompt the Senate to follow the lead of our chamber in passing its version—Senate Bill (SB) No. 2573—of this proposed law before the end of this 19th Congress.”

A lead author of the House-approved HB No.10439, Villafuerte hoped that senators would likewise give weight to the fact that medical cannabis has been legalized already in 60 countries as of last year, and that its medicinal value has been affirmed in medical journals of various prominent global institutions.  

At least 13 senators have already signed Committee Report (CR) No. 210, which endorsed for plenary deliberations and approval SB No.2573. The measure was principally authored by Senator Robinhood Padilla.

Moreover, Villafuerte said that even the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has publicly expressed openness to the legalization of medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes. 

“Hence, I am more upbeat that we have a more conducive environment now for the 19th  Congress to be able this time around to finally write a law allowing qualified patients with debilitating diseases to use CBD as an alternative treatment for their afflictions, hoping that the UN CND’s recognition of non-addictive CBD will convince most of our senators to pass SB No.2573 legalizing medical cannabis,” he said.  

Villafuerte noted that, unlike in past Congresses, the medical cannabis bill has reached an advance stage of progress. 

As such, the former three-term Camarines Sur governor says he remains optimistic that the outgoing Congress will still manage to pass before the end of its third and final session a consolidated bill in favor of medical cannabis.