By Chito Chavez

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will conduct an intense research on medical marijuana to quell some “misinformation” on its medical use.

PDEA Director-General Aaron Aquino asserted the urgency of the study due to the growing clamor for the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes in the country.

“We cannot depend on the study of other countries as lot of people are misinformed about medical marijuana,” he stressed.

He noted that a number of suspects nabbed for illegal use, possession, and sale of marijuana have justified that it was for the cure and prevention of cancer, psoriasis, and other diseases.

Aquino will seek the assistance of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, the Department of Science and Technology, the Dangerous Drugs Board, the Department of Health (DOH), and other concerned agencies in the research.

RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and a DDB resolution allowed the use of medical marijuana that covers its active ingredient cannabinoid and not the plant, “under specific circumstances.”

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray during the question and answer portion of the pageant agreed with the lawful use of marijuana only for medical and not for recreational purposes in the country.