NBI urges Congress to pass law curbing emergence of new kinds of drugs

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MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is appealing to the Congress to pass a law that would address the problem of proliferation of new kinds of drugs.

NBI-Anti Illegal Drugs Division Chief Joel Tuvera made the appeal Wednesday following the confirmation on two new kinds of synthetic drugs that are being sold by drug syndicates.

According to Tuvera, the synthetic drugs MDMA methylene homolog or ecstasy which are mixed with methylene homolog, which is a kind of laboratory chemical and synthetic cathinones with a street name of “bath salts,” are not yet included in the list of prohibited drugs of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Because of this, the said synthetic drugs were not included in the basis used by the NBI in filing the criminal complaint against Joshua Habalo, who was suspected to have sold some illegal drugs in a rave party in Pasay City last May 21.

Tuvera explained that it is better that the law in other countries which imposes penalty against those who would be arrested in possession of drugs with the same effect of drugs included in the original list of prohibited drugs, should also be implemented in the Philippines.

Through this, Tuvera said, the drug syndicates would have a hard time to circumvent the law to avoid prosecution.