The Senate of the Philippines began its hearing on a bill last week that would legalize the use and research of medical marijuana after the measure passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming approval in late January.

House Bill 6517, also known as the Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, would allow the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to license doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients who are experiencing a chronic or debilitating medical condition, such as seizures, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.

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If the bill is signed into law, patients would have access to their prescribed marijuana through the creation of Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers and accredited hospitals. The law would also establish a Medical Cannabis Research and Safety Compliance Facility to test medical cannabis and ensure safe and effective use.

And surprisingly, President Rodrigo Duterte—known internationally for his hardline crackdown on illegal substances—has already backed the measure.

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Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act

Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug in the Philippines, but some politicians and advocates have been working for years in support of legalizing medical marijuana.

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The measure was initially introduced in 2014 but failed in Congress the first time around. Then, Rep. Rodolfo Albano III introduced the legislation again in 2016, one day before Duterte launched his war on drugs campaign.

More than two years later, on the measure’s third and final reading in the House, one hundred sixty-three representatives voted in favor of the bill, five voted against it and three abstained.

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“I really believe in medical cannabis. As you know, I have my problem here and when I’m in a country that allows it, I put a pain patch, but here in the Philippines, I cannot do it,” House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who suffers from multilevel cervical spondylosis, told reporters in January. She co-authored the bill because she believes it could help her and others, she added.