REP. ARROYO CLARIFIES STAND ON POT; EVEN HIS MOTHER OBJECTS

THE PRESIDENT'S son took pains yesterday to clarify his support for a
proposed bill that would legalize marijuana for medicinal use, after
running into a wall of opposition from his colleagues-and his mother.

"I was very clear in saying that the proposal will have to be carefully
studied before we can even begin to support the bill," Rep. Juan Miguel
"Mikey" Macapagal-Arroyo said.

"Personally, I've always been and will continue to be against the use of
(illegal) drugs in all forms as this is a major destroyer of our people's
lives and of our society."

He said he recognized the "potential for grave abuse" should the measure
prosper.

Left to Experts

So "it's up to the experts to give their views on this, considering other
countries have legalized marijuana in some shape or form," Representative
Arroyo added.

Mother Knows Best?

Presumably, mother knows best. But she preferred to be diplomatic about it.

"It's fair to say the President is opposed to legalization. But the
President respects all opinion on this matter, including the opinion of
Mikey Arroyo," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

Ms Arroyo was reacting to her son's declaration on Wednesday that he would
co-sponsor a bill proposed by Liberal Party Rep. Solomon Chungalao of
Ifugao seeking to legalize marijuana for use of laboratories to produce
medicine.

Chungalao even suggested that marijuana be allowed for cultivation in the
Ifugao rice terraces.

Smoking With Objections

The proposal had at least two young congressmen smoking. With objections,
that is.

Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Lakas, Bukidnon) said he would rather see the
market flooded with imported pain killers than with "a narcotic that addles
the brain," while Rep. Gilbert Remulla said he was sure Mikey's own mother
would reject the idea.

The two lawmakers not only cautioned the young Arroyo against his move but
also thrashed the bill, warning that growing the addictive weed as a cash
crop even in strictly policed conditions would be a boon to bigtime illegal
drug syndicates.

"Legalize marijuana use and we are one step away from becoming a
full-fledged narco-republic," said Zubiri. "We are already No. 2 in shabu
use worldwide. Should we aspire to be first in marijuana use, too?"

Downstream Industry

"Legalize marijuana and criminality would become its downstream industry,"
said Zubiri, who authored the New Dangerous Drugs Law.

"Marijuana's proven dangers far outweigh it's unproven benefits."

Saying marijuana's supposed efficacy as a pain killer is not yet
100-percent scientifically proven, Zubiri said he would rather throw
support on the health and trade departments' parallel importation of "cheap
but quality" drugs.

Remulla said the proposal was "very dangerous" since there was no assurance
that all marijuana plantations that it could spawn would be run by
legitimate drug companies or research institutions.

Lesson From Spain

Former Sen. Vicente Sotto was concerned that the proposal would "send the
wrong message to the youth and drug traffickers."

In a statement, Sotto said lawmakers behind the proposed measure should
present scientific and medical findings to prove that marijuana could be
used for medicinal purposes.

"Twenty years of continuous research and experience has led to
anti-narcotics enforcers worldwide to the conclusion that the medicinal
justification has not been proven other than the resultant delusional high
experienced by marijuana users," Sotto said.

He said Spain had previously legalized marijuana use but had since
criminalized it.

Serious Risk

Dangerous Drugs Board acting Executive Director Edgar Galvante said the
proposal should be thoroughly studied.

He said studies conducted by the University of the Philippines College of
Medicine showed that marijuana, when abused, posed a serious risk to public
health.