Ira* has a condition called multiple sclerosis, which debilitates her brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Every attack is different: Sometimes, upper and lower extremities weaken. On some days, she goes blind. Often, Ira cannot stand, or walk, which for MS patients, can become extremely painful. Due to her illness, Ira has wrestled with bouts of depression and helpless agony. So when a cured epileptic patient told her his story about the miraculous effect of cannabis oil, she had to try it. She uses it sparingly: Two drops before sleep, and her tremors dwindle.

Romeo* never expected to make the hospital his second home. One day, Romeo found his infant son black and blue, not breathing. The eight-month-old just had a seizure. Sachi would be diagnosed with infantile hemiplegia, cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, and epilepsy. The baby would have nine to 15 seizures a day. On his grandmother’s birthday, Sachi had an unstoppable two-hour seizure. His oxygen dropped to a critical level, his blood sugar shot up, he vomited continuously, and his temperature spiked dangerously. Romeo grappled with the constant challenge of keeping his baby alive, hopeless in the face of his son’s dangerous medical condition. Sachi would be confined with every seizure, given Dormicum (a medicine similar to Valium) and five anti-convulsant drugs. Not only did the disease cripple the family financially, it posed challenges to the growing boy, who lived with an altered self-image, wobbliness, and orthosis, making socializing and even going to school difficult, almost impossible. With almost all medicinal options exhausted, Romeo started researching. He found the story he needed after watching Weed, a CNN documentary by Dr. Sanjay Gupta: That of Charlotte Figi’s, who suffered from 300 seizures a week, but who found respite after using medical marijuana. Romeo wanted it for Sachi, but even the desperate parent couldn’t fathom a life in prison. Like many, Romeo faces the double whammy, a desperate dilemma, as the use of marijuana renders one a criminal, facing life imprisonment.

Legalizing Marijuana

Marijuana in the Philippines is controlled by the black market - and the government has been unsuccessful in trying to curb its use and distribution. Many Filipinos have asked to legalize the use of medical marijuana, but as of press time, the lobby has been unsuccessful. Groups like the Philippine Cannabis Compassion Society supports families and patients like Ira, Sachi, and Romeo. They work on getting their stories out and use these stories to convince legislators that they need access to an alternative cure, which they see in cannabis. The successful lobbying of medical marijuana has encouraged 69 house representatives to co-author HB4477. More and more doctors, patients, and citizens have come out in support of it. It has gained enough momentum that many hope that one day, the Philippines will become the first Asian country to legalize the use of medical marijuana.

House Bill No. 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act seeks to decriminalize the use of the plant for patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and lupus among others.

The proposal is clear-cut, and guards against the abuse of the plant. To regulate the use of cannabis, proponents say that a Medical Cannabis Authority should be established and led by a director general, to be appointed by the President of the Philippines, from a list of physicians recommended by the secretary of Health.

When it comes to getting access to it, a recommendation made by a qualified Medical Cannabis Physician will be given after completing a thorough medical assessment. After getting a recommendation, Medical Cannabis cards will be issued to patients to draw the line between them and non-patients. The issuance of the cards will have established rules and regulations which includes suspension, revocation, and confiscation upon abuse. Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers, with the proper licensing and requirements, will also start operating. These centers will issue the physician-recommended cards and will serve as dispensaries where patients can pick up their medications from.

The Philippines will also ensue the research of cannabis as a treatment, joining other countries in a global revolutionary attempt to find a cure to incurable diseases.

Weeding The Issue

So, why not? The use of cannabis as medicine dates back thousands of years, in almost every culture in the world. There are no proven facts that marijuana has caused death in patients who use it. Even as more researchers discover the benefits of the plant, it continues to remain taboo especially in a conservative country like the Philippines.

Many continue to fight for a chance to try medical marijuana for their sick loved ones and for the millions of other Filipinos who can benefit from this medically. Citizens in countries where medical marijuana is legal use it to help with stress, anxiety, body aches, migraines, appetite, insomnia, among others. The oil is proven to be great for the skin and numerous hemp skin products have come out in the market worldwide. Why are we blocking its use? Chemo patients pay thousands for a single session wishing for it to work, when an alternative can be grown in their backyard. The Philippines is perfect for growing the plant, and with over majority of the population living in poverty, marijuana will be an accessible and cheap alternative for those who cannot afford the more expensive medicines.

The artists in our communities, where majority of the support comes from, feels that they should be a major part in pushing the movement. Banal, a songwriter who cured his asthma by medicating with marijuana, has started preaching about the plant in his songs. He sees himself as a spokesperson for cannabis and publicly urges people to open their eyes to herbal medication as a better and cheaper way to a healthier mind and body.

The Cannabis Movement in the United States began flourishing because it became mainstream. It became a big trend as influential people started to publicly support it. Instead of portraying it as a menace to society, supporters are promoting the healing qualities to shed light in a new direction.

But in the Philippines, the prohibition instills hesitation and sometimes fear. Maria, an established artist, said that her belief in the plant does not make her worry about how society will judge her but how the law will. Joseph, an entrepreneur, is also hesitant in publicly advocating for it because he does not want to be branded as an addict which may in turn affect his business venture. Yet both remain hopeful that if the Filipino people took a stand that an alternative medicine is needed in a society stricken by extreme poverty, the legalization of compassionate use can happen.

Compassion shouldn’t depend on the capacity of a government to implement its policies. The government’s inability to control the black market shouldn’t be the reason medical marijuana should be illegal. Just as a doctor’s job is to keep their innocent patients alive.