Cannabis in the Philippines: should it be legalized?

The legalization of marijuana for medicinal and

recreational purposes has been a hotly debated topic, and countries around the world are left to decide
whether it should be decriminalized. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), California
became the first state to permit legal access to and use of botanical cannabis for medicinal purposes in
1996. While in Asia, Thailand was the first country to legalize the use and purchase of cannabis leaves in
2021, as reported by BMC Public Health. On the other hand, Uruguay completely legalized the growing,
sale, and smoking of marijuana.

In spite of the rising acceptance, the legalization of marijuana should be a national issue, and it should
not be allowed to be used recreationally.

Philippine drug laws are among the toughest in the world, with death penalties for possessing a
relatively small amount of cannabis. According to the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, it is
illegal to use or possess cannabis in the Philippines. The law outlines cannabis as a dangerous drug and
enforces a penalty of “life imprisonment to death” and a fine of 500,000 pesos to 10 million pesos.

House Bill No. 4477, known as the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, to the 16th Congress of
the Philippines, which would legalize the use of medical marijuana. One of the bill's co-authors, Leah
Paquiz, said, "We are at this stage; we have Filipinos who need care; we should give them compassionate
care—this medical cannabis. There are a lot of medicines, but they are expensive.”

Marijuana is a gateway drug -- the idea that marijuana use leads a person to use other more dangerous
drugs, like cocaine or heroin,. Even though researchers have different viewpoints on whether marijuana
is considered a “gateway drug”. Tt has all the ability to be one and unlocks the door for those who use
marijuana to shift into heavier substances.

"…a study using longitudinal data from the National Epidemiological Study of Alcohol Use and Related
Disorders found that adults who reported marijuana use during the first wave of the survey were more
likely than adults who did not use marijuana to develop an alcohol use disorder within three years…
Marijuana use is also linked to other substance use disorders including nicotine addiction," the National
Institute on Drug Abuse states in an investigation on Marijuana as a gateway drug.

Imagine that we begin eating an apple each day. It will taste delicious at first because it’s an added food
to our daily meal and we even look forward to eating one or twice every day. But the more apples we
consume, the more undesirable they become – forcing us to look for an alternative snack.

Now, let’s change the apple as the marijuana: The more frequent we consume, the less satisfying it’s
going to be, and more likely we will want to try something else to experience that first-time high again.

The CDC advises that regular use of marijuana can cause disorientation, unpleasant thoughts, anxiety,
paranoia, depression and worst suicide. Also, temporary psychosis and schizophrenia are more likely to
be developed by those who use marijuana.

As a Christian, Marijuana should remain illegal. The Bible does not directly mention Marijuana, but it
provides warning to the dangers of alcoholism.
Ephesians 5:18 states, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit,” and 1 Peter 5:8 in New International Version also states, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Therefore, just like drunkenness, using Marijuana affects our physical and mental state. We depart from
heavenly things and we lean towards worldly things for temporary happiness. But when the high wears
off, we are still in the same problem as before.

“Reject every kind of evil,” 1 Thessalonians 5:22. In this life, we will only find full satisfaction through the
of love of a perfect Father.

In conclusion, the recreational use of Marijuana should not be legalized as it has the ability to be a
gateway drug and have a great impact on people’s well-being.

We don’t see the benefits, only the harm.