DEFER THE REEFER

Two gentlemen of the House of Representatives must have such a high regard
for Filipino discipline that legalizing cannabis sativa crossed their mind.

They are probably aware of the Dutch who allowed possession of small
quantities way back 1976. The joke was if you ask the police where to buy a
joint, he would obligingly point to the coffee shop.

Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao may have
stumbled upon an issue so sensitive that even discussing it is already taboo.

The First Son, who admitted he was not a doctor, thought that the
medicalization of marijuana was an idea worth pursuing because other
countries allow its use.

And who could fault Chungalao, the upland lawmaker, for proposing it as a
cash crop which can bring in the much-needed funds for his province?

Going by PNP Chief Edgardo Aglipay, the country now exports cannabis to the
Asia-Pacific underworld market.

Which confirms Chungalao's pragmatism, considering that, to quote the PNP
chief, marijuana and drugs are a P280 billion industry. If we are to
believe the claim, drugs are "bigger than the pharmaceutical and petroleum
industries."

That should provide a snapshot of how much in illegally pocketed money
unscrupulous law enforcers will be giving up once the trade is sanctioned
by law.

On the other hand, Congressman Arroyo makes sense in pushing for marijuana
for medicinal purposes.

Morphine, a habit-forming narcotic whose base is a principal alkaloid of
opium which comes from the poppy plant, comes in handy in pain management,
especially in the excruciatingly painful stages of cancer, for instance.

Opposing legislators have doubts about the ability of authorities to
prevent if not police abuse. Countless brilliant pieces of legislation have
been cast like pearls before swine, because of sloppy enforcement.

If the present antidrug campaign is far from hitting a 100 percent level of
success, can we trust ourselves on another measure, however good its aims
may be?

The Netherlands cannot be a model for a country prone to abuse ahead of
use. Just look at how grafters plunder the government coffers to appreciate
our sense of overkill in corruption.

Legalizing, decriminalizing or medicalizing at this time will only succeed
in putting our famous rice terraces alongside the Golden Triangle and the
poppy fields of Afghanistan.