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Senate mulls referendum for marijuana bill
A referendum to allow the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is one of the recommendations that the Senate will look into.
According to Sen. Teresita A. Santos (R-Rota), this possibility was discussed during a two-day hearing on the issue on Rota.
Santos, said the well-attended hearing at the Mayor’s Office on Rota drew both “positive and negative” reactions from several community members.
“There were no questions [from the public] but there were several testimonies,” Santos said.
The lawmaker chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, which directly handles concerns regarding Senate Bill 19-06.
Introduced by Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan), S.B 19-06 seeks to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
During the two-day hearing, Santos said “several people came forward” to give testimonies.
The lawmaker said some of the residents also expressed intentions to provide written testimonies that will be sent to the Senate on Monday.
“Once we receive these testimonies, we will have a clearer picture of what the community members feel about the use of marijuana for medical purposes,” Santos said.
Prior to the Rota hearings, Igisomar said he expects residents to ask questions regarding the regulation, cultivation, and retail consumption of qualified patients.
Igisomar said he also prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the hearing.
The lawmaker said he has been receiving “a lot of positive feedback” on the medicinal use of marijuana from residents seeking an alternative approach to costly medical treatments, particularly patients suffering from debilitating diseases.
He said cancer patients often ask for the availability of alternative treatments that are not as expensive as chemotherapy.
