Published by: Michelle Piquero
Date Published: August 7, 2024
Time Published: 10:10 AM
House Bill No. 10439, or Access to Medicinal Cannabis Act, has been approved by the House of Representatives on the thi rd and final reading [1]. This act can serve as a new hope for the people of the Philippines to have an alternative medicine for their sickness, but are we ready for the possible risks of this type of medicine?
This bill will only permit individuals who meet the requirements, have symptoms or sickness that require this type of medicine, and have been given permission by a licensed physician to use medical cannabis [2]. However, this bill may also encourage others to possess marijuana and provide an excuse for abusing this kind of medication because it is 'legal.' Moreover, the main purpose of medical cannabis is to cure conditions such as chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, and muscle spasms and it can also be used to boost the patient’s appetite [3].
These are just the possible benefits of the said medicine, but we haven’t discussed its drawbacks yet. The potential side effects of taking marijuana as treatment can potentially make the patient's condition worse, such as turning a mild illness into something far worse because smoking medicinal cannabis can damage a patient's lungs and can cause cancer. In addition to that, the use of medical marijuana can also affect the thinking abilities of the patient, and it can also ruin their memory.
According to one study, when you inhale cannabis smoke, the harmful components of this smoke enter your body and travel directly to your brain, causing an alteration in the way your hippocampus, a part of your brain that is in charge of your memories and learning abilities, absorbs the information that is entering your brain, leading to you having a hard time creating fresh memories and remembering the old ones. These harmful components of the cannabis smoke may also alter the way your brain receives information and affecting your capacity to make sound decisions [4]. Moreover, addiction can result from using marijuana as medication.
Despite the government's announcement that it will establish a Medical Cannabis Office (MCO) to prevent medical marijuana abuse [1], there is still a significant risk that a patient will take advantage of this medication. The use of marijuana can start as a simple medicine to treat someone’s illness, but as time goes by, the patient will surely crave more, and it can turn into addiction. Since it's a medication, some doctors may naturally advise taking it once a day or more. However, once the patient's body adjusts to the medication, it will naturally start to seek out the taste of this medicine. That’s why addiction to this medicine can still be around even though the government is planning to put up a facility to monitor patients.
Some doctors don’t even consider prescribing this kind of medication since the side effects of this medicine can cause more harm than good. The Philippines was once against marijuana, and I think it should stay that way. Instead of wasting time making medical cannabis legal, why not just try to fund and support pharmaceutical laboratories in the Philippines so they can look for potential substitutes for medicinal cannabis? To also ensure that the Philippines has a sufficient number of pharmaceutical scientists to develop new medications and treatments for the sick, the government should also think about developing a program to educate the future generation about the value of pharmaceutical scientists in the nation.
Medical marijuana is not and will never be our last hope to cure illnesses. Pharmaceutical scientists and companies are there for a reason. Let’s give them the chance to find something—a real medicine that is more valuable than marijuana. It is still debatable if the country needs a new bill about medicinal cannabis. Furthermore, this nation needs more knowledge about what the future of this country would look like if we had enough scientists to make alternatives instead of just letting an addiction come to someone’s life in the form of medicine. The people of this country also need a bill that will protect them from any harm and not lead them to one.
REFERENCES:
[1] Lalu, G. (2024, July 30). House OKs bill allowing access to medicinal cannabis on 3rd reading | Inquirer Net.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1967604/house-oks-bill-allowing-access-to-medicinal-cannabis-on-3rd-reading#ixzz8hTHbHIZH
[2] Panti, L. GMA Integrated News (2024, July 30). House passes medical marijuana bill on final reading
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/915263/house-passes-medical-marijuana-bill-on-final-reading/story/?amp
[3] Morrow, A. (2024, June 11). Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-medical-marijuana-1132484
[4] Pietrangelo, A. (2023, May 24). The Effects of Cannabis on Your Body
https://www.healthline.com/health/effects-of-cannabis-on-body
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