By Billy Begas
Former Speaker and incumbent Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez reiterated his call to legalize marijuana, citing its potential to provide financial freedom to poor Filipinos.
“If we legalize marijuana, but with safeguards, we help in attaining economic independence and freedom from poverty for our people. FREE THE PLANT! This is the only way we can harness the full potential of the benefits of Cannabis, both medically and economically,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez underscored the need of having the courage to explore and take alternative, progressive, yet effective approaches to addressing the country’s problems.
“Tapang ang kailangan natin dito. We need the courage to face the problems head on and the capability to handle the solutions that is called for by modern times. Decriminalization of Cannabis can lead us to freedom from economic poverty,” Alvarez said.
“The potential for economic gain is astounding, international studies and models have proven this. The numbers speak for itself, and even our government agencies involved acknowledged it during the technical working group discussions in Congress. We have to face it,” he added.
He noted that the legalization of marijuana has demonstrated substantial economic benefits in countries like Canada and the United States. Canada’s cannabis market generated CA$2.6 billion in sales, while in the United States, it supported over 321,000 jobs and gained US$18.3 billion in sales.
“Let’s roll up our sleeves and embrace the green revolution! By legalizing marijuana, we’ll not only light up our economy but also blaze a trail towards prosperity!” Alvarez stressed.
