MANILA, Philippines — Despite the slow progress in legalizing medical cannabis, a South African doctor believes the Philippines could become a leader in the industry if the law is enacted.

In a sit-down interview with Republika News, cannabis clinician Shiksha Gallow, said that the Philippines has the potential to lead Asia in medical cannabis by learning from Thailand’s missteps and implementing the law effectively.

Thailand, the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical cannabis, took a step back earlier this year by introducing new legislation to ban recreational cannabis use in an effort to curb abuse.

Currently, the Philippines has yet to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

“[The] Philippines can own this (medical cannabis) in Asia. I feel the Philippines can learn from all the mistakes done in Thailand, in other countries. And I feel [the] Philippines can be the leader in medical cannabis in Asia and put the Philippines on the map because we can do this correctly,” she said.

Dr. Gallow is currently in the Philippines to join legislators in discussions about legalizing cannabis for medical use.  

According to Gallow, some Filipino patients are traveling to Thailand for consultations on medical cannabis, as it is the closest country to the Philippines that has decriminalized its use.  

At least 20 Filipinos are being treated with medical cannabis by Gallow for various conditions, noting that these patients are “reacting very, very good” to the treatment.

In July, the House of Representatives approved on its third and final reading a bill legalizing the medical use of marijuana. During the session, 177 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill No. 10439, also known as the proposed Access to Medical Cannabis Act, while nine voted against it, and another nine abstained.

The Senate is set to hold a hearing on the act on Tuesday, nearly five months after its approval in the House.

Under the proposed measure, qualified patients can only access cannabis-based medications in various pharmaceutical forms including pills, tinctures, and suppositories. Additionally, only the following medical conditions will be permitted to use medical cannabis under the bill:

– Cancer

– Glaucoma

– Multiple sclerosis

– Damage to the spinal cord’s nervous system, accompanied by objective neurological evidence of intractable spasticity

– Epilepsy

– Positive diagnosis for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

– Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

– Rheumatoid arthritis and similar chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorders

– Diseases requiring hospice care admission

– Any other conditions designated by the Department of Health through the Medical Cannabis Office

Medical experts believe that medical cannabis can help relieve pain and reduce seizures in certain patients suffering from different neurological disorders but some oppose the passage of the bill due to fear of its recreational abuse. 

No high feeling

However, the proposed bill and Gallow said that none of the applications can be used to get “high” even in doses  that are higher than the prescribed and access is strictly by prescription only from an accredited Medical Cannabis Office Medical Practitioner where formulations and dosage are specific to medical conditions. 

The Tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis-based drugs, an active component found in cannabis, “are not sufficient enough to create psychoactive effect,” according to the proposed measure.

Gallow noted that if patients have a prescription for medical cannabis for a specific condition, it’s unlikely to be abused because it targets that condition and affects the brain differently than other medicines. 

The brain has limited cannabinoid receptors in the brainstem, which controls breathing. This means pure cannabis won’t affect the respiratory system, making it impossible to overdose on it, she said.

‘It’s safe, effective’

The cannabis clinician likewise said that the goal is to educate doctors on prescribing cannabis and assure the public of its safety and effectiveness, highlighting that it’s safer than alcohol, tobacco, and other medicines.

“We had to go back to science and prove that this is actually a medicine. It is safe and effective. And we did that using actual patients and actual clinical trials and actual science,” she said

“So it has been very difficult. But once it’s opened up and once people are seeing the evidence and the science, it gets better and better. But trust me, the stigma is still really big.”

Should it be passed into law, Gallow said that her team will be conducting a clinical trial in the country in partnership with medical schools and hospitals.

Ending the stigma

Aside from conducting clinical trials to end the stigma surrounding cannabis use, Gallow noted that it’s important for the national government and the medical community to be educated about its use to show its benefits within the Filipino community.

“It’s education with clinical evidence, it’s educating them about Science,” she said.