Aired (May 18, 2024): Sa ilalim ng ating batas, ipinagbabawal ang cannabis o marijuana. Pero may mga tao na may kondisyon o karamdaman na naniniwala na mabisang gamot ang iligal na halaman na ito.
Sa higpit ng batas at sa pagtutol ng marami tungkol sa medical cannabis, nasaan na nga ba tayo pagdating sa legalisasyon ng halaman bilang gamot?
Samahan natin si Atom Araullo para sa kanyang pinakabagong dokumentaryo para sa #IWitness, ang #MaryJane!
Sa higpit ng batas at sa pagtutol ng marami tungkol sa medical cannabis, nasaan na nga ba tayo pagdating sa legalisasyon ng halaman bilang gamot?
Samahan natin si Atom Araullo para sa kanyang pinakabagong dokumentaryo para sa #IWitness, ang #MaryJane!
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FunTranscript
00:00In the shape of these leaves, it will be known by many, cannabis is the scientific name of the plant.
00:29But it is more known in the country of marijuana.
00:36Sometimes it is feared, sometimes it is praised.
00:41And now, it is the center of a serious debate.
00:46Is it a medicine or a drug?
00:49An enemy or an ally?
00:58In a small and cramped room in Pasay, Mary Jane, the mother, is watching Wendy.
01:17The five-year-old girl has epilepsy.
01:22And it is her fourth seizure today.
01:28She has epilepsy.
01:43She seems to be having a hard time.
01:48It's okay, it's just me.
01:52I know she's fighting, that's why I can't calm down.
01:58Calm down, calm down.
02:06It's okay, it's just me.
02:11It's okay, it's just me.
02:18It's not a joke when I visit the mother.
02:23Hello, ma'am. How are you?
02:28I'm fine.
02:30It's hot. She has a fever.
02:33I have a fever.
02:36Is that why you're here?
02:39Yes, it's for her.
02:41All day long?
02:43All day long.
02:45Wendy seems to be having a hard time.
02:48Her mother can't stop her.
02:52It happens often.
02:53One day, I had a seizure.
02:55Sometimes, it's just in the morning.
02:58Sometimes, it's in the evening.
03:00Wow.
03:01That's how it is.
03:04The condition of the child also leaves a hole in their pocket.
03:10How are you?
03:12Sometimes, I feel guilty.
03:18Because her mother is not a small person.
03:23She's a dastard.
03:29Mary Jane's world revolves around taking care of Wendy.
03:34She's always thinking about how to help her child.
03:37A month ago, someone contacted Mary Jane.
03:42And they gave her a question, as if it's new to her.
03:48Someone sent me a PM, asking me to try cannabis.
03:53He said it's a medicine from a foreign country.
03:56So, I asked him, what is cannabis?
04:00Mary Jane doesn't know what cannabis is.
04:03But she knows
04:04what marijuana is.
04:06Her mother thought.
04:08Because of that,
04:10for example, if I try it,
04:12what if I don't like it?
04:14What if I don't like it?
04:22Cannabis is strictly prohibited in the Philippines.
04:27It's considered a dangerous drug.
04:29Because it has an addictive effect on humans.
04:32500 grams of marijuana
04:35or 10 grams of resin
04:37can cost up to 10 million pesos.
04:41And it can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
04:49Is illegal cannabis really a medicine?
04:53Is illegal cannabis really a medicine?
04:58If you ask Dr. Jem Mutia,
05:01there's no doubt about it.
05:12Dr. Mutia is the founder of the Philippine Society of Cannabinoid Medicine,
05:17the main medical organization in the Philippines
05:19that promotes the use of cannabis as a medicine.
05:23He's been fighting this for a long time.
05:26Dr. Jem Mutia
05:28has already talked to an eyewitness
05:31back in 2016.
05:33Cannabis has been a medicine longer
05:36than it hasn't been a medicine.
05:384,000 years ago, from China, India,
05:41it was already a medicine.
05:45But cannabis is not just a traditional medicine.
05:50In mainstream medicine,
05:52it has been proven to be effective
05:54against many diseases.
06:19But cannabis is not just a medicine.
06:22It's a medicine.
06:24It's a medicine.
06:26It's a medicine.
06:28It's a medicine.
06:30It's a medicine.
06:35So why is cannabis effective as a medicine?
06:39According to studies,
06:41the chemical compounds found in cannabis
06:45or what we call phyto-cannabinoids
06:47are very similar
06:49to the natural chemicals
06:51that our body produces
06:53or what we call endocannabinoids.
06:57Our body produces marijuana-like compounds,
07:02the chemicals for hunger,
07:05the chemicals for sleep,
07:08the chemicals for excretion.
07:11Based on studies,
07:13there are diseases
07:14where the levels of cannabinoids are low.
07:19These diseases,
07:21when cannabinoids are supplemented
07:25with marijuana,
07:27can be helpful.
07:30In phyto-cannabinoids,
07:32there are two main compounds.
07:34Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC
07:37and cannabidiol or CBD.
07:40THC is a psychoactive
07:42or narcotic substance of marijuana.
07:45CBD is non-psychoactive.
07:49These chemicals are continuously studied
07:52as a cure for various diseases.
07:55Now, not all diseases can be treated
07:59by marijuana, but many.
08:04I met a family who believes
08:07in the benefits of medical cannabis
08:10because of their experience.
08:12That's why we ran for the pass.
08:15A rare type of cancer
08:17was found in the wife's son
08:19whose name we will hide,
08:21Gina and Arnel.
08:23Our son was 8 years old.
08:25While he was in school,
08:27he always had headaches.
08:29When he got home,
08:31he couldn't sleep because of the pain.
08:34I was the one who received the CT scan results.
08:37The doctor himself said
08:39that his son had a tumor in his head.
08:42That's when we broke down.
08:46Their son's illness is serious.
08:48We call it M.A.R.C.
08:51He was diagnosed with
08:53rhabdomyosarcoma in 2018.
08:56It's a type of cancer
08:58that targets the soft tissue cells of humans.
09:01Only 2% of the chance of survival
09:05was given to him by their doctor.
09:08At that time, he waved goodbye to me.
09:10I was shocked.
09:12He did it.
09:14But still,
09:16we trusted the doctors.
09:22The child had to undergo
09:2542 cycles of chemotherapy
09:27to open his cancer.
09:29The effects of the medicine
09:31on his small body were strong.
09:33But in their examination,
09:36the wife found something.
09:37She found out that
09:39medical cannabis
09:41helps those who undergo chemotherapy.
09:44That's what I felt.
09:46Let's try to get rid of it.
09:48At least, if we don't have a good ending,
09:50we won't have regrets.
09:52We didn't take the medicine
09:54because there were cycles.
09:56After every dose of chemotherapy,
09:59he would get sicker and weaker.
10:02Once he took the medical cannabis,
10:05what were the effects?
10:07He was able to endure
10:10the chemotherapy
10:13maybe because of the drops
10:16that we gave him.
10:18Mark completed his chemotherapy
10:21within a year.
10:23And now,
10:25the child is in remission
10:27or has no chance of cancer.
10:29He also said that
10:31his movement and body
10:33were restored
10:35and he was able to go back to school.
10:37What are your favorite subjects?
10:40AP and MAPE.
10:42Why?
10:44Because in AP,
10:46I want to learn about the history,
10:48about the culture.
10:50And in MAPE,
10:52I want to learn sports like basketball.
10:56There are no more medicines
10:58that the doctors give to Mark now.
11:01But they still give him
11:03the medical cannabis
11:05that his parents gave him.
11:07They call it malamaintenance medicine.
11:10People usually think
11:13that it comes from
11:15something high.
11:17But we never saw
11:19that it had that effect.
11:21Your son also went through
11:2342 cycles of chemotherapy.
11:26Yes.
11:28Isn't that the reason
11:30why his tumor
11:33grew to begin with?
11:35And maybe it has nothing to do with...
11:37There is a side effect for sure.
11:39Yes, there is a side effect.
11:41But the side effect is too much.
11:46But because it's illegal,
11:48the use of medical cannabis
11:50in the Philippines
11:52is still illegal.
11:56There is epilepsy,
11:58autism,
12:00attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
12:02or ADHD
12:04in Olive's son
12:06who doesn't have a real name.
12:09He can barely count
12:11the medicines
12:13that the child used to take
12:15until they tried
12:17the medical cannabis.
12:19So you say hi.
12:21Hi.
12:23He didn't have eye-to-eye contact before.
12:26He never listened to people.
12:30So his improvement is big.
12:32It's so big.
12:34It's so big because
12:36he used to be like a vegetable.
12:38After drinking, eating,
12:40taking a bath, sleeping.
12:42In a day or in a week,
12:45how often did he have seizures?
12:48In the past,
12:50maybe three times a week.
12:52Now, sometimes
12:54once a month.
12:56Ma!
12:58Ma!
13:00Ma!
13:02How sure are you
13:04that the medical cannabis
13:06really helps your son?
13:09That's the only medicine he uses
13:12after removing all his pharma medicines.
13:18Olive's story
13:20is that she told her doctor
13:22the use of medical cannabis.
13:24I asked him suddenly,
13:26is it true that medical cannabis
13:29can cure epilepsy?
13:31He said,
13:33I'm not saying it's true,
13:36but I have a patient
13:38who told me that
13:40he used to take it.
13:42His son used to take it
13:44and the medicine was reduced.
13:46So he didn't recommend it.
13:48No.
13:50He didn't stop me.
13:52It's up to me.
13:56No throwing, man.
13:58No throwing.
14:00Because of his son's condition,
14:02their medical expenses
14:04and hospitalization
14:06were greatly reduced.
14:08Very good.
14:10How do you feel
14:12that you can't do it openly?
14:14It hurts for me
14:16that I can do it.
14:18But my other family members,
14:20my mother,
14:22or my patients,
14:24they can't do it.
14:26What if they catch you
14:28just for possession
14:30of medical cannabis?
14:32Of course, I'm nervous.
14:34I'm afraid.
14:36I'm more afraid of being a mother.
14:38I'm more afraid of being a mother.
14:41I want my son to live
14:45and I want to be in jail
14:48instead of seeing him
14:50slowly dying.
14:52The story of medical cannabis advocate and researcher,
14:56Chuck Manansalang.
14:58In the past,
15:00he used to buy medicines
15:02made from marijuana from pharmacies.
15:04So I looked for it on the internet.
15:07And it was Gat Jose Rizal himself
15:09who proved it.
15:11Aside from the doctor,
15:13sometimes he contacted
15:15one of his colleagues,
15:17one of his colleagues,
15:19an animal,
15:21whose last name is Meyer.
15:23He was asked about hashish.
15:25They call it hashish here in the Philippines.
15:28What Jose Rizal said was
15:30that he used it for experimental purposes.
15:37Cannabis has been used by different cultures for a long time
15:41because it has a bad reputation.
15:45It happened around 1930 in America
15:48under the leadership of Harry Ansling.
15:50It was led by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
15:55Because in 1929,
15:57there was a great depression.
16:01There was a shortage of jobs.
16:03The Americans were angry,
16:05including the immigrants.
16:09Red marijuana in particular.
16:13That is the purpose of this meeting,
16:15ladies and gentlemen.
16:17He said
16:19that he used marijuana
16:21as a term used by Mexicans for cannabis.
16:24That marijuana was used
16:26by Black Americans,
16:30Hispanics,
16:32and Filipinos,
16:34to make their satanic music.
16:38The satanic music,
16:40according to Harry Anslinger,
16:42is jazz and swing.
16:44That is why marijuana
16:46has a bad reputation in America.
16:54In the following decades,
16:57America became more addicted to cannabis.
17:02In 1971,
17:04under President Richard Nixon,
17:06it was considered a Schedule I drug.
17:09This means that
17:10it has a great potential for drug abuse
17:13and it is not recognized as a medicine.
17:16It has no scientific basis.
17:18It is a product of racism.
17:24Countries are expanding
17:26their legalization of cannabis.
17:31As of now,
17:33more than 40 countries have implemented
17:36partial and full legalization of cannabis.
17:39In America,
17:41marijuana is also being removed
17:43from the list of Schedule I drugs.
17:47But in the Philippines,
17:49medical cannabis
17:51can still be found in the black market.
17:58I met Alias Tristan,
18:00one of the sources
18:02of medical cannabis in the country.
18:05He is a doctor
18:06and he is the founder
18:08of Medical Cannabis in the country.
18:10Honestly, I am doing this
18:12because no one else is doing it.
18:22Tristan said
18:24that after more than 10 years of study,
18:26consultation with his doctor friends,
18:29and sharing his feelings,
18:32his knowledge of medical cannabis
18:34became the foundation.
18:36He is the one who makes the way
18:38for the medicine to reach the patients.
18:40And the right medicine,
18:42and the right dose,
18:44and the right method.
18:46He can no longer count the people
18:48who said that they were helped
18:50by his medicine
18:52that he gives free
18:54to those in need.
18:56Why are you doing this
18:58despite the dangers?
19:00Because technically,
19:02you can still be sued
19:04because of what you are doing.
19:06Maybe,
19:08it's hard to experience
19:10in your life
19:15that you are given a purpose.
19:17It started with one patient,
19:19and now we have thousands of patients.
19:22I cannot stop.
19:24I think
19:26my greatest crime would be to stop
19:28knowing that I can do
19:30more, I can do better.
19:32Sorry, I'm crying.
19:36It makes you very emotional
19:38talking about this topic.
19:40Yeah, because
19:43I have sacrificed a lot
19:46of my personal life
19:49just pursuing this advocacy.
19:53What made you feel
19:55that you need to hide?
19:57I got used to it.
19:59But it was very lonely
20:01at first,
20:03because no one knows what I do.
20:04I have to live a double life.
20:07I don't want to hide the truth.
20:12But medical cannabis
20:14is still being taught
20:16by many doctors,
20:18particularly
20:20the Philippine Medical Association
20:22or PMA.
20:25Dr. Tony Lechon is worried
20:27that cannabis will be abused
20:29or that it will be allowed
20:31to be more widely used
20:32as a medicine.
20:34For many reasons.
20:36The first reason is about safety.
20:38It's a typical psychoactive
20:40and addicting
20:42product with potential for abuse.
20:45Number two reason
20:47is because
20:49we know in the Philippines
20:51that our regulatory functions
20:53are weak.
20:55This spread
20:57cannot be stopped.
20:59He even insists
21:01on allowing the use
21:03of cannabis-based medicines
21:05through the so-called
21:07Compassionate Special Permit
21:09or CSP.
21:11There is a law
21:13that if you need it,
21:15the doctor will write it to the FDA
21:17and the medicine will be delivered.
21:22But according to this,
21:24Dr. Mutian
21:28says
21:30cannabis
21:32is not safe.
21:47But is cannabis
21:49really addictive
21:51and dangerous?
21:54If it's just cannabis,
21:56it won't kill.
21:58But if it's marijuana,
22:00it will consume alcohol
22:02and drive.
22:03When you take medicine
22:04of cannabis,
22:05don't drive
22:06and don't operate
22:07heavy equipment.
22:09So that's rule number one.
22:11Personally,
22:12I believe
22:14that tobacco
22:16is more deadly
22:17and it's proven
22:18that many people die from it.
22:20It's illegal.
22:21With marijuana,
22:22you can be independent
22:23if you do not have the discipline
22:25or if you have a problem in life
22:26and you thought
22:27that cannabis
22:28will be the solution.
22:30It's not.
22:31But for medical use,
22:33it's under doctor's supervision.
22:36But if medical marijuana
22:37is allowed to be used,
22:40will it also follow
22:42recreational use
22:44or as a drug?
22:46We do not
22:47promote the use
22:49of non-medical marijuana.
22:51But at the same time,
22:53we also strongly condemn
22:56the criminalization
22:58of users
23:00of marijuana
23:01for whatever reason.
23:03What do you think is the middle ground?
23:05There's a middle ground
23:07actually on research.
23:09If they would involve
23:11let's say,
23:12the academic institutions
23:13plus the scientists
23:14and researchers,
23:16that's where we'll see
23:17that we're trusting.
23:19Upon opening for R&D,
23:21why not?
23:22You're a doctor.
23:23Okay.
23:48Welcome to the launch
23:50of the Cannabis Alliance Philippines.
23:52This year,
23:53various pro-medical cannabis
23:55groups have also joined
23:57to support their advocacy.
24:00Their call is
24:02to listen to the patients,
24:04look at the evidence,
24:07and don't be afraid
24:08to study cannabis.
24:10Let's set up
24:11the right study,
24:13the right training for doctors.
24:15Let's set up ways
24:16to control it
24:17so that
24:18the quality
24:19we always give
24:20to the patients
24:21is always good.
24:23The advocates' call
24:25is that
24:26there should be
24:27affordable,
24:28safe,
24:29and available
24:30marijuana
24:31here in the Philippines.
24:38You know,
24:39I've been here
24:40for 10 years
24:41and I'm still nervous.
24:42This is my
24:43highest confidence level
24:45that a lot of things
24:46will happen.
24:51The Cannabis Alliance
25:03Mary Jane
25:04still lacks information
25:05about medical cannabis.
25:08But she is interested
25:09in learning about it,
25:11especially if it can help
25:13her daughter's condition.
25:16I haven't asked
25:17her doctor yet.
25:18I just know
25:19that it's a pain.
25:22We will try
25:25and try.
25:29But because
25:30the law is strict
25:32and the rules are left and right,
25:37the fear
25:38and hope
25:39for people like
25:40Mary Jane
25:43is growing.
25:44Will they be able
25:45to find the best solution?
25:49When there is no hope
25:51and fear.
25:58Good evening.
26:00I am Atom Araudio
26:02and this is
26:03the Eyewitness.
26:18For more information
26:19visit www.eyewitness.com