In other parts of the world, like the Netherlands and, more recently, parts of the United States, marijuana (or weed, as most people call it) has been decriminalized and accepted as a legal recreational drug.
There’s an area in neighboring Thailand where weed has been — at least unofficially — decriminalized, and was the subject of a Coconuts TV documentary last year.
But in the Philippines, in the midst of a deadly drug war, weed has very serious consequences, as five students who were busted for it learned yesterday.
According to a report in ABS-CBN News, police recovered over 200 grams of “high-grade” marijuana with an estimated value of PHP300,000 (US$6,000), which they found in the students’ possession.
“They call this locally, ‘gorilla.’ Because the kind of high you get will make you like a gorilla,” said Lucena City police chief Supt. Vicente Cabatingan.
Hmmm, maybe, but not exactly. Not all marijuana strains are named after its effects, some strains are named after the taste and effect like “strawberry cough” or “sweet dreams.” Others might be named after a place like Panama Gold, or historical significance, like a strain named “sputnik.” Other strain names can be completely random.
But we’ll give Cabatingan a pass for his assumption.
A gram of marijuana nowadays, according to the police department, could cost anywhere from PHP1,500 (US$30) to PHP2,500 (US$50), depending on the demand.
Two of the students are 17 years old, while the other is 15. The police caught the students with the help of parishioners of a church that is linked to the private school they were attending.
They will be charged for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act. Selling marijuana can get someone a life sentence and a fine of PHP500,000 (US$10,000) to PHP10 million (US$200,000).
