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Pressing issues like religion and morality concern the Catholics who dominate the Philippines's population by 80 percent.
The fact that Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte gave his opinion about the legalization of medical marijuana kind of created a ripple effect on the tranquil Philippine seas.
"Medicinal marijuana – yes, because it is really an ingredient of modern medicine now," Duterte told reporters. "There are medicines right now being developed or already in the market that contains marijuana as a component but used for medical purposes," added Duterte, according to [News5] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHu46S7Qjw).
Image via News5
Chuck Manansala, founder of Medical Cannabis Research Center ([MCRC] (https://www.facebook.com/mcrcphilippines)), told the reporters that **marijuana helps cure epilepsy, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other inflammations** due to lack of oxidants or free radicals.
Watch the full report here:
In the U.S. there are at least 24 states that have legalized medical marijuana, although the Food and Drug Administration (FAD) has not yet approved the plant as medicine
Meanwhile, the National Eye Institute (NEI) stated how **marijuana cures glaucoma and prevents blindness**.
"Studies in the early 1970s showed that marijuana, when smoked, lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) in people with normal pressure and those with glaucoma," according to [NEI](https://nei.nih.gov/news/statements/marij)'s archive, "Glaucoma and Marijuana Use".
Image via Fava & Maria Eye Care
**What is Medical Marijuana?**
The term *medical marijuana* refers to using the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat a disease or symptom. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ([FDA] (http://www.fda.gov)) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse ([NIDA] (https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine)).
Back in 1992, the researchers of the Journal of the American Medical Association ([JAMA] (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104848)) studied, tested and analyzed the associations of marijuana and pulmonary function to 5000+ men and women
In 2012, JAMA published the result of their 20-year [study] (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104848), "Association Between Marijuana Exposure and Pulmonary Function Over 20 Years".
The authors conclude:
Marijuana may have beneficial effects on pain control, appetite, mood, and management of other chronic symptoms. Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana for these or other purposes may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function. It is more difficult to estimate the potential effects of regular heavy use, because this pattern of use is relatively rare in our study sample; however, our findings do suggest an accelerated decline in pulmonary function with heavy use and a resulting need for caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered.
Image via Web MD
Marijuana remains illegal in the Philippines
According to the [P.D. No. 1708] (http://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno1708.html#.V0aA3MYi51M) known as the "Dangerous Drugs Acts of 1972" states that the volume of marijuana apprehended by law enforcement officers and men appears to confirm the observation that the illegal growing, cultivation and production of marijuana plants remain unchecked.
Anybody caught possessing or using marijuana even for medical purposes may be sentenced to years in jail or life imprisonment.
Do you agree with Rodrigo Duterte's stand on the legalization of medical marijuana?
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