AROUND P11 million worth of marijuana went up in smoke in Tinglayan, Kalinga last week as law enforcement agencies cracked down on growing sites. Police officers and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) stumbled onto nine plantation sites with a land area of 6,900 square meters in Mt. Chumanchil, sitio Bato of Barangay Loccong as part of their “Oplan Katribu.” Though no cultivator was caught, at least 40,850 fully grown marijuana plants with a total estimated value of P11.04 million were burned on site. A handful were brought to Kalinga PPO as evidence. Chief Superintendent Elmo D. Sarona, Cordillera police director, admitted that the operation does not guarantee the total elimination of marijuana plants in the area because planting marijuana is a source of livelihood for some in the surrounding communities. Earlier, Kalinga Governor Jocel C. Baac denied law enforcement authorities’ claims that villagers along Mt. Chumanchil and other identified mountain villages grow marijuana. The governor said the plants just grow naturally in the area. Meanwhile, the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act is up for plenary debates after the House of Representatives committee on health approved on final reading last Tuesday the bill seeking to legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis, or marijuana. — philstar.com

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