Instead of imprisonment, drug use should be decriminalized according to Sen. Robin Padilla
ROBIN PADILLA – The senator said it is better to decriminalize drug use than put the users behind bars for using illegal drugs.
The senator made the statement during a hearing on Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs about drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers. He said: “Siguro, iyong i-decriminalize natin iyong drug using instead of imprisonment, automatic i-rehab sila. Kung automatic rehab, mapupuno talaga iyang mga iyan.”
Padilla, a neophyte senator who led the previous election, stressed that drug users are only “offenders” and should not be compared to other criminals. “Kailangan maliwanag sa batas ng Pilipinas na hindi natin isinasama iyong pipitsugin doon sa bigatin. Kailangan po natin talaga bigyan ng emphasis dito sa batas natin sa Pilipinas kung sino iyong ating tutulungan at sino iyong ating tutuluyan,” he said.
Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, chairman of the committee, the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) is against the proposal to decriminalize drug use based on their submitted position paper. He said: “Tama nga iyong sabi ng DDB na baka iyong magiging standard ng mga tao, ‘Walang problema iyan, gamit tayo ng droga. Hindi naman tayo makukulong. Rehab lang tayo.’ Iyon iyong meat ng opinyon Ninyo.”
Meanwhile, even the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is against the proposal of Sen. Robin Padilla to decriminalize drug use. NBI Commander of National Task Force in Illegal Drugs Ross Jonathan Galicia said “it’s going to send the wrong message to the public like we’re saying it’s okay to do drugs kasi gagamutin namin kayo.”
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