DOH chief on medical marijuana: Not so fast
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday warned government officials and the public to be cautious on the issue of medical marijuana, saying there is insufficient information on the possible benefits of medical marijuana compared to its risks.
“We have a scarcity of information about the benefits as claimed versus the potential risks. You have to weigh what are the benefits, health or medicinal benefits and do these benefits actually outweigh the potential risks,” Duque said in a recent television interview.
Earlier, health officials clarified that the existing law on the use of marijuana for medical purposes covers mainly its active ingredient cannabinoid, and not the plant itself.
The clarification was issued after Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that medical marijuana is allowed under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Sotto said the law allows a patient’s attending
physician to secure a compassionate special permit from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Sotto’s statement was backed by Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman Catalino Cuy, who said there is no problem on using marijuana for medical purposes.
Duque said there are reports on the effectiveness of some processed products from marijuana on several illnesses such as chronic pain, neuropathic pain and nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy.
But he said the reports do not carry the potential risks associated with the use of these marijuana by-products.
“We cannot afford to be gung-ho about this and then later on, we find out that the danger is so much more than the putative benefits,” Duque said.
He noted that although RA 9165 as well as a separate DDB resolution allowed the use of medical marijuana “under specific circumstances,” only a few physicians have applied for a special permit for the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
FDA director general Nela Charade Puno said the agency has not granted compassionate special permit for marijuana.
As of last year, the FDA received only one application for compassionate special permit for marijuana. It said the applicant did not follow up on the application.
Under an existing administrative order issued by the Department of Health (DOH), the FDA is allowed to issue compassionate special permits allowing hospitals to avail of any unregistered drug, medical device or food product through a licensed importer for a specific kind/type of patients, specific volume and period.
The FDA said doctors or hospitals can apply for a permit on behalf of a patient with cancer, HIV-AIDS and other lifethreatening diseases.
Three years ago, the DOH and the FDA issued a joint advisory warning the public against purchase and use of hempseed oil or their varieties and derivatives from marijuana in consumer products.
The FDA also prohibited the importation and distribution of hempseed oil from cannabis for the protection of the public.
The DOH said that the legalization of medical marijuana still needs a thorough study.