Pro-Drug War Philippine President Open to Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Duterte Is Willing To Support It If Deemed Beneficial

By: Elias J. Atienza

The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, said that he was open to the idea of the legalization of medical marijuana in an interview with Al Jazeera. Duterte, known for his infamous drug war, would support it if the Food and Drug Administration deemed it beneficial.

“I’m not the authority for that. It’s the Food and Drug Administration. If it’s certified by the government and it’s good fine, no problem.”

Duterte also said that there would need to be more research on whether or not it is beneficial.

“It must have this qualifying you know, activity, where it is being used to find out if it’s really medicinal or it can do something good for the body,” he said.

The Philippines has some of the strictest marijuana laws in the world, though the United States has classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

There has been a push in the Philippines to legalize medical marijuana. A bill in the House of Representatives called Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act would legalize medical marijuana. The bill has been refiled as of July for the 117th Congress by Isabela Cong. Rodolfo Albano III.

Medical marijuana in the United States is legal in at least 24 states and DC while recreational marijuana use has been legalized in 4 states and decriminalized in 17 states. Four states will vote on the legalization of marijuana in November.

Duterte has offered support for medical marijuana before, calling it “an ingredient of modern medicine.”

President Barack Obama has steadfastly refused to support efforts to legalize medical or recreational marijuana, but did remove a major roadblock in marijuana research. In addition, he has not enforced federal law on marijuana use.

Republican nominee Donald Trump supports medical marijuana and believes that states should set their own marijuana policies. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton supports the same position, but has said in private speeches that she is opposed to marijuana legalization.

Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein fully support the legalization of marijuana on a state and federal level. The Marijuana Policy Project has more details on each candidate’s stance.