MIKEY A SUPPORTS 'POT' LEGALIZATION

After the rice terraces, now come terraces planted to the wonder weed,
marijuana.

Presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo has expressed support
for a proposal in the House of Representatives that would legalize the use
of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

During plenary debates Wednesday night on the proposed budget of the
Dangerous Drugs Board, which is being defended by Arroyo for approval, the
neophyte lawmaker said he would support Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao's
forthcoming bill "legalizing marijuana on a limited aspect for use of
laboratories."

Arroyo said though he is not a doctor, he said he would give his two cents'
worth and told Chungalao that "if it is genuinely for medicinal purposes
and it is controlled strictly and regulated, maybe we can consider that
idea because like what you said, your honor, in other countries, marijuana
intake is allowed by law."

When Chungalao asked Arroyo if he could count on the neophyte lawmaker's
backing when he files a bill legalizing the planting of marijuana for the
production of medicines, Arroyo said: "Again, if it is strictly regulated
and for medicinal purposes... it will be an honor and privilege to work
with you, sir."

The use of marijuana is legalized in many countries in Europe and is
reportedly used to ease the pain of cancer patients. In the Netherlands,
for instance, one can easily walk into a store and have one's pick to smoke
as if choosing a cigarette brand.

The Ifugao congressman said the Cordillera provinces are a depressed area
where rice production cannot even feed the people in the area and the roads
and irrigation system are left unattended by the government.

He said even the world famous rice terraces are already crumbling because
of lack of funding to preserve them.

Chungalao said if planting and use of marijuana would be legalized then
perhaps it would be the only high value crop produced in the Cordilleras.

He said maybe even without government support, the Cordillera economy and
ecology, and the rice terraces, would improve "with the value of the
marijuana that we can produce because it grows everywhere."

"So, if we can perhaps allow the legalization of this high value crop, we
can even plant it in the terraces and we can perhaps preserve our rice
terraces," Chungalao said.