Former PH president Arroyo admits to using marijuana for pain; backs its legalization

Former Philippine president and current House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo uses marijuana, people. Well, the medical kind.

Arroyo yesterday said she has used marijuana patches to ease pain from a cervical spine problem. She also said she supports the legalization of medical marijuana.

But before you think of calling the cops on Arroyo, she clarified that she only uses the patch whenever she’s in countries where it’s legal.

Got you all excited, eh?

She was quoted by GMA News saying: “I really believe in medical cannabis. As you know I have my problem here (cervical spine) and when I’m in a country that allows it, I put a pain patch but here in the Philippines I cannot do it.”

Arroyo told the Philippine Star that she really believes in medical cannabis which is why she co-authored House Bill 6517, a proposed law that wants to provide Filipinos access to legal medical cannabis.

She said, however, that “there was a lot of objection to the bill from the House and from the Senate.”

Yet Arroyo shouldn’t give up hope.

Afterall, no less than her ally, President Rodrigo Duterte, has supported the legalization of medical marijuana.

According to Rappler, Arroyo suffers from multiple cervical spondylosis, a condition where the spinal disc on the neck is worn down with age. The patient may suffer symptoms such as pain and stiffness.

In Arroyo’s case, it got so bad in 2011 that she underwent multiple surgeries to treat it.

Rappler also said that her cervical problem is one of the reasons why she was detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) instead of jail when she was being tried for plunder and electoral sabotage. Arroyo stayed at the VMMC from 2011 until 2016 when the Supreme Court acquitted her.

So medical marijuana advocates, there’s hope for your cause!