Former House Speaker and now Davao del Norte's 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez is pushing for the decriminalization of cannabis, or marijuana, and any form or its derivatives.
Under <a href="https://hrep-website.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/legisdocs/basic_19/HB06783.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill No. 6783</a>, filed on January 16, Alvarez seeks to remove marijuana and any form or its derivatives from the list of dangerous drugs and substances under existing laws.
He cited that in 2017, the Harward T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that no evidence supported or refuted claims that marijuana usage can cause an individual's death.
"And yet, while marijuana has not been proven fatal even if consumed excessively, another substance, alcohol, which can kill a person through alcohol poisoning, is allowed by the government to be sold to the public," Alvarez said.
He said it is time for the government to correct the "policy that lacks common sense."
In the same House Bill, the former House Speaker said that marijuana should be legalized for economic and tax purposes.
"Removing marijuana from the list of dangerous drugs creates a massive economic opportunity for new businesses, jobs, and further revenue generation for the country, which can be used to fund social programs," he said.
Once marijuana is legalized, Alvarez said the government can regulate the market to ensure that it is being sold safely and in high quality.
The revenues and taxes collected from the sale of marijuana can be allocated for government social programs, including housing, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, and markets.
"The additional revenue could also assist in helping pay for the country's worrisome debts," he added.

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Ex-House Speaker Alvarez seeks to decriminalize marijuana