KALINGA Province Governor James Edubba has thrown his support for the passage of the medical marijuana measure currently making its way through Congress.
Edubba said that said measure would help deter illegal marijuana plantations in the region, which the Philippine National Police (PNP) tagged as the primary producer of high-grade marijuana in the country.
However, Edubba also said that his support is contingent on the medical marijuana bill being pro-farmer, asking that the measure not allow multinational companies to take control of marijuana production.
“Once the government will allow multinational corporations to control the production and manufacturing of medicinal marijuana, which will be to the detriment of farmers, then the illegal cultivation of the hemp will continue and will remain a problem among government agencies and local governments,” Edduba said.
Edubba also said that the measure must make way for the attainment of better standards of living to discourage farmers from growing illegal marijuana and instead turn to raising it within the folds of the law.
Other Cordillera politicians to back the medical marijuana push include Benguet Representative Eric Yap, and Ifugao Governor Jerry Dalipog, who previously thumbed up the possibility of reclaiming abandoned rice terraces in the province for use as marijuana growing areas should the measure be passed.
