Actor-turned-senator Robin Padilla wants to legalize medical marijuana
ROBIN PADILLA – The action star-turned-senator is pushing to legalize the use of medical marijuana.
Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla is an actor, politician, screenwriter, producer, and director.
He is known as the “Bad Boy” of Philippine cinema for portraying anti-hero protagonist gangster roles in films such as Anak ni Baby Ama, Grease Gun Gang, Bad Boy, and Bad Boy 2.
He has also been dubbed the “Prince of Action” of Philippine cinema.
Padilla is also active in television programs, having played lead roles in Basta’t Kasama Kita, Asian Treasures, Joaquin Bordado, Totoy Bato, Guns and Roses, and Toda Max.
Robin, a neophyte, led the previous senatorial election with over 26 million votes.
Meanwhile, the senator is pushing to legalize the use of marijuana or cannabis as a “compassionate alternative means of medical treatment.”
According to the proposal passed by the actor-politician, Senate Bill 230 or “Medical Cannabis Compassionate Access Act of the Philippines” aims to allow the use of cannabis (capsules and oil and not raw cannabis) to treat qualified patients with “debilitating medical conditions or symptoms.”
“The State should, by way of exception, allow the use of cannabis for compassionate purposes to promote the health and well-being of citizens proven to be in dire need of such while at the same time providing the strictest regulations to ensure that abuses for casual use or profiteering be avoided,” said Robin Padilla in the explanatory note of his proposed bill.
Among those considered “debilitating medical conditions” are cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, or similar chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorders, and illnesses that require hospice care.
Also included in the list are severe nausea, mood disorders such as severe anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder; even recurring migraine headaches.
Watch the report in the video provided below:
The Department of Health (DOH) is designated as the principal regulatory agency that will establish Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers in public tertiary hospitals.
The health department will also have a Prescription Monitoring System and an electronic database of registered medical cannabis patients and their doctors.
On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will test medical cannabis products while the Dangerous Drugs Board and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency will monitor and regulate medical cannabis.
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