Photo by Dante Tacata
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), one of the country’s most vocally conservative groups, made an unusual stand when it agreed that marijuana is acceptable. Sort of.
After a lawmaker filed a house bill legalizing medical marijuana, CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas said:
We have been apprised of various medical situations other than terminal illness where it seems that palliative care and relief involving the use of narcotics, including cannabis, may be indicated.
This was allowed in the Charter for Catholic Health Care Workers by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance t. Health Care Workers. However, he clarified that the church only allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He added:
Substance abuse and drug dependence are wrong, and any measure that makes abused or habituating substances within easy reach of potential abusers and dependents is morally wrong.
 Late last year, Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III filed House Bill No. 04477, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act to use marijuana for medical purposes. The Department of Health said that it will review the bill for commenting, but the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the largest organization of physicians in the country, disagreed, saying there is not enough scientific evidence to support the claim.
According to theory, medical marijuana can treat chronic pain and muscle spasms.
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