No intention to decriminalize marijuana in House bill, lawmakers sayBy GLEE JALEAhome/Second Headline/No intention to decriminalize marijuana in House bill, lawmakers sayA BILL at the House of Representatives seeking to legalize the use of medical marijuana doesn’t decriminalize its use but creates a “limited and narrow exception to the country’s criminal and civil laws to allow a physician to recommend medical cannabis to patients with serious and debilitating medical conditions,” two lawmakers who authored the measure said on Tuesday. Albano is hopeful that the bill will still be passed before the end of the 17th Congress. Albano said 27 countries have legalized medical cannabis, while 33 states, along with Washington DC, in the US have passed laws legalizing it. HB 6517 defines medical cannabis as “the use of every kind, class and character of marijuana including its constituents, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other canabinoids as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy. Carreon cautioned that while medical marijuana may be an ingredient in making pharmaceutical medicines, it should not be taken through smoking.

Source: Manila Times December 19, 2018 00:22 UTC