By Liza Agoot/PNA
BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Cordillera, at this time, is not yet doing a research on the medicinal quality of marijuana, DOST Regional Director Nancy Bantog told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.
“Wala pa akong naririnig sa agency namin,” she said on ongoing researches about marijuana, which was abundant in the Cordillera based on the number of plantations already raided by authorities.
House Bill 6517 or the Act Providing Filipinos Right of Access to Medical Marijuana was filed by Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano in June.
Bantog, however, said the problem now is the absence of a protocol for research on marijuana.
“Kailangan hanapin namin ang protocol ng office kasi regulated yan. One thing, it is a regulated material, sino ba ang dapat gumawa ngresearch? Is it just anybody doing a research, or will there be a specific institution? Yun siguro ang dapat in place and I still have to verify pa (We need to find out if the office [DOST] has a protocol because it is a regulated material. Who should do the research? Is it just anybody or an institution should do it, I will still verify),” she said.
Bantog cited, though, that the DOST has a research arm and one of the thrusts of the DOST-Cordillera is health, the reason it could do the research as long as it is guided by a protocol.
“Wala tayong control kung may magsa-submit sa amin. But from our end, we need to refer that to the higher authorities kung ano angprotocol natin,” she said.
Aside from the DOST, the Department of Health (DOH) also has a research component.
But Bantog said she has no idea if there are plans to research on marijuana’s medicinal uses.
