IDUCARE Policy Briefer and Manifesto
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A. Experiences of Filipinos Who Use Drugs
“Not a lifestyle, but a trip.”
-A poly-drug user and musician from Davao
During the nationwide consultations conducted by IDUCARE in three key cities in the Philippines, Filipinos who use drugs were able to tell stories about the substances they use and the personal circumstances surrounding their introduction to and consumption of certain drugs.
Most participants from Luzon and Mindanao identified as cannabis users. They were organized in different groups such as the Medical Cannabis Party and Sensible Philippines. Most of them started using cannabis during their teenage years and continued until adulthood. Their use orbits around issues about wellness, peer influence, mental health, and creative pursuits. A mother of two children from Metro Manila shared that she likes using cannabis regularly because it makes her feel centered and balanced. It was also pointed out that access to cannabis is relatively easier and safer due to local cultivation in the northern part of the Philippines and some discreet home growers. Cannabis is available to them mostly as kush, oil, and sometimes as brownies, they themselves bake….
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