IN my lifelong urging that we think out of the box, I have long argued that marijuana must be decriminalized. On August 30, 1983, I wrote "Who's Afraid of Mary Jane? The Truth About Marijuana" in Mr. & Ms.. I got pummelled and pilloried from pillar to post with mothers calling me to tell me what they thought of me and my ancestors.

My friend, Sen. Tito Sotto, says bring back the death penalty, routinely used in China but drug trafficking continues. Big time.

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If President Aquino wants to get the whole, unvarnished truth about drug deals and luxurious privileges enjoyed by certain VIP inmates at the New Bilibid Prison, it would be best to let another agency outside the Department of Justice handle the probe. Or else he can give the Office of the Ombudsman a free hand in its ongoing probe, with orders for the DOJ and its agencies including the Bureau of Corrections and NBP to extend full cooperation.

Teams from several law enforcement agencies raided the NBP in the wake of strong suspicions that drug trafficking in Metro Manila was being operated from the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa. The raid uncovered not just shabu, drugs and millions in cash but also the atrociously comfortable detention facilities enjoyed by several convicted drug lords. The plush accommodations were on top of regular hospital stays outside the NBP, complete with starlets for entertainment, enjoyed by certain prisoners.

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MARIJUANA should not be used in medical treatments.

Dr. Clarette Dy from the Department of Psychiatry of Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center shared the Philippine College of Addiction Medicines' view on the legalization of marijuana stands firm, "no".

"We as doctors and even our society, our stand is not to legalize marijuana in the country," she stressed.

This is in response to proposed House Bill 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill or simply the marijuana bill.

In the bill's explanatory note, the bill hopes "to provide accessible, affordable, safe medical cannabis to qualifying patients."

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SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union--Composite teams of police and drug enforcement agents uprooted and destroyed marijuana plants and seedlings worth P6.6 million in a two-day marijuana-eradication drive in Ilocos Sur, a senior official said on Sunday.

Chief Supt. Roman Felix, police regional director, said various teams backed by armed forces intelligence agents fanned out to locate and destroy the plants in Barangay Licungan, Sugpon, Ilocos Sur and destroyed 24,770 fully grown plants and 34,100 seedlings in several plantation sites.

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THE COURT of Appeals (CA) has directed the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to proceed with the deportation of a British cannabis seed trader facing charges for money laundering and narcotics trafficking in Maine, USA.

But the appellate court's Special 7th Division ordered that Gypsy Nirvana be deported directly to the United Kingdom and not be put on a flight that would pass through the United States.

The court, in an 11-page decision dated June 25 but released last week, denied Nirvana's plea stopping his deportation, saying that his lawyers should have first appealed to the justice secretary and the Office of the President before seeking judicial intervention.

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It was reported in the news recently that the Cebu City Council wants to hold random drug testing among the students in the public high school. In relation to this, one might ask, "Is it valid and/or constitutional to subject students to drug testing?"

It is legally valid as Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the "Dangerous Drugs Act," provides that "students of secondary and tertiary schools shall, pursuant to the related rules and regulations as contained in the school's student handbook and with notice to the parents, undergo a random drug testing: Provided, That all drug testing expenses whether in public or private schools under this Sec. will be borne by the government" (Section 36 c).

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AT LEAST five police operatives in Central Visayas are in hot water this week for possible connections to illegal drugs, including an officer who tested positive in a random drug test yesterday in Mandaue City.

The Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD) 7 of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 said that four policemen were recently investigated for their alleged involvement in narcotics.

One of these policemen was from Cebu Province, two from Negros Oriental and one from Bohol Province, said Supt. Henry Binas, deputy chief of the RIDMD 7. He said their backgrounds and behavior were assessed.

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A LAWMAKER has opposed a proposal to legalize marijuana use in the country, warning that the move could spell national disaster.

Sen. Vicente Sotto 3rd was reacting to the bill filed at the House of Representatives seeking to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes, with the proponents citing supposed studies abroad that tout marijuana's beneficial effects.

While the intention of the bill is to help those individuals with chronic or debilitating disease, Sotto on Sunday said the ones who would greatly benefit from the proposal are drug syndicates that are already making a killing from the sale of marijuana.

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Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III filed yesterday a bill that would allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

"Modern research has confirmed the beneficial uses of cannabis in treating and alleviating the pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, as found by the National Institute of Medicine of the US," Albano said in his explanatory note.

He said at least 20 states in the US, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have allowed the use of medical marijuana.

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A lawmaker presented to reporters Thursday his draft of a bill that will allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

"Modern research has confirmed the beneficial uses of cannabis (or marijuana) in treating and alleviating the pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, as found by the National Institute of Medicine of the US," Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said in his explanatory note for the bill, which he will file before Congress goes on its annual adjournment middle of next month.

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LAPU-LAPU City Offers Help, May Commend Officer

THE police officer who got shot in the middle of a drug bust is now in a stable condition, the head of intelligence for the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office said yesterday.

The operation in Barangay Looc, where two drug pushing suspects died in a shootout, will be added to the list of the police office's anti-narcotic operations since March.

In three months, the LapuLapu police have conducted 43 operations and filed 175 cases in court related to illegal drugs. They also confiscated an estimated P1.76 million worth of illegal drugs.

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MANILA -- Suspects and evidences in cases involving illegal drugs can be immediately presented to the media, said official said Friday.

In an interview, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Superintendent Reuben Sindac said showing of suspects and evidences immediately after apprehension is an exception to the "no firing line policy" as stated in the law against illegal drugs.

On Wednesday, Sindac said PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima reiterated the policy that all chiefs of police should assign a spokesperson who will entertain queries from the media regarding a certain case, the policy involves the "no firing line."

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