I think the best we can do for now is advocate the Industrial use of Hemp (not cannabis). Hemp does not have enough THC to get you high from a regular joint. Hemp has over 25,000 industrial uses.

I think the Filipino people would be more accepting of Hemp, if they were educated. Trying to push cannabis is really is too much of a leap for Filipinos – too much stigma.

I also believe in the benefits that marijuana can give medicinally. I for one would also like to have marijuana centers here our country just like in some states in the US for pain management of terminally ill patients. I was planning to center my topic in research in legalization of medicinal marijuana however my professor did not allow me due to it’s being taboo.

Good day.

I just had to point out that comparing marijuana with shabu is unfair. It would be like comparing an apple with feline fecal matter. They are simply not in the same boat.

Another point is that marijuana is NOT physically addictive. Habitually, yes, just as I am addicted to some computer games — I do not have withdrawal symptoms, but I do “miss” playing the game, as it is enjoyable and stress-relieving for me. Coffee is more addictive in that I need to drink a few cups, else I feel physically sluggish.

Just clearing those points up… hope you don’t mind. :)

Cheers!

Pazu

We at the Philippine Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or PORMAL feel that IT IS high time (no pun intended) that we seriously work towards reclaiming this most useful and diverse of plants that mother nature has bestowed upon us, but the greed of some in power have taken away.

For 5,000 years, since the Chinese first wrote about the medical applications of this herb, only good things came forth from the mouths of all that used it. This included Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, etc. (more than a dozen US Presidents, which proves the “gateway theory” correct — marijuana use IS a gateway to becoming the next US president, as displayed by the last three presidents in a row. LOL) Seriously, there were even points in human history wherein farmers were MANDATED to plant Cannabis. Wars have been fought for control of Cannabis/Hemp.

For those 5,000 years, there have been NO deaths recorded from directly ingesting or smoking Cannabis. Even modern scientists have not determined the LD50 of this herb, as it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to consume enough to kill a human being without choking on the plant material. Compare that with the LD50 of Nicotine at 40–60 mg, Caffeine at 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram of body mass, and Alcohol at 0.40% BAC. This is where the great disparity arises. The modern day placement of Cannabis under the heading of Schedule I drugs is completely ABSURD and UNACCEPTABLE. This would mean that cannabis is HIGHLY TOXIC and has NO MEDICINAL APPLICATION whatsoever!

Let’s not even get started on the 5,400,000 worldwide deaths from cigarettes each year. Everyone made a fuss over the holocaust, but with proper advertising, big tobacco is quickly and systematically massacring us with a smile and with government support.

Anyhow, for fear of rambling on, I would just like to share this short essay of mine on my dream for Cannabis in our beloved country, and I will be off…

IMAGINE.

Imagine the Philippines as Asia’s Amsterdam, with cafes by the beach that serve the herb tea of the day, or herb candies/cookies, aside from the regular smoke-able type… Now imagine our tourist arrivals boom because of that. Extra income for everyone.

Imagine our farmers given a choice to plant Cannabis. Imagine no pesticides. Imagine their income double, triple, quadruple due to the great strains they grow LEGALLY. No more being jailed for raising a plant that God has given and man has taken away.

Imagine our bright young scientists staying home (not flying the coop for better income) to study the herb and find out all its wonderful uses. Now imagine all the multinational corporations waiting in line to shovel in money for those studies, knowing full well that they can make profits from all of Marijuana’s countless uses — medicinal and industrial.

Imagine the Philippines DONATING (never heard that phrase before…) tons of hempseed to Africa and other starving nations for use as food. That isn’t very hard to imagine, hempseed would be very abundant due to its rate of growth, and would be a great alternative food due to all its nutrients and amino acids.

Imagine the deforested mountainsides being secured against landslides by planting Cannabis whose roots grow straight down, thereby securing the soil against erosion within 4 months. Now imagine all the lives that would have been saved in Ormoc, and countless other landslide affected areas.

Imagine the Philippines becoming the FASHION HEMPIRE of Asia, with the newest fashion from our very talented designers coming out in HEMP material.

Imagine us becoming the Cannabis Furniture Capital of the World, with all our great and world-renowned furniture companies incorporating the material into their designs. Imagine the demand for such furniture worldwide.

All that and many, many more uses and ideas that I’m sure all of you can come up with…

The only thing Cannabis wants in return is for us to clear its wrongfully tarnished name…

Legalize. Educate. Regulate. Medicate. Germinate.

Thank you for your time. We would love to somehow get in touch with you sometime in the near future and discuss our options and plans for pushing forth with this most noble of endeavors.

More power to you as you keep on fighting the good fight!

Sincerely,

Pazu Eteve

http://www.facebook.com/pazu.eteve
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8342577287&ref=mf (PORMAL)

Imagine this – a reefer joint gives a buzz that would take 5 12 oz cans of beer to gulp. Cost-wise, it is more effective, has no hangover, you don’t behave obnoxiously (ma-oy in cebuano) – and the worst thing that can happen is you get the munchies and doze off!

You’ll wind up drinking less booze, and just use it as an “amplifier” – after which you’ll be free of your back pain/anxiety/appettite loss – with a toke.