How black market drugs gave this 68-year-old Bunbury woman 'pure happiness'
By Marta Pascual Juanola, March 28 th 2019
A few years ago, a 68-year-old Bunbury
woman (who wished to remain anonymous)
would have been terrified at the thought of
consuming cannabis.
Now, she can’t imagine life without it.
A 68-year-old Bunbury woman is calling for the
Australian government to legalise cannabis.
The woman, who was diagnosed with
epilepsy 20 years ago, started using cannabis
on a regular basis in 2014, after watching a
documentary on television about the positive
effects of cannabis in children with epilepsy.
She had managed to keep seizures under
control for most of her life, but after a four-
year struggle with unusually severe seizures,
depression and suicidal thoughts the
documentary was the last push she needed to
take the leap.
"For four years I didn’t live a life at all," she
said.
"I lived in a black hole. At that time I would
have tried anything."
Since embracing the plant-based drug, which
she consumes between three and four times a
month, the woman said she hadn't had any
serious seizures, signs of depression or
regrets.
Instead, she is living "a life of pure
happiness".
"[Cannabis] completely turned my life
around," she said.
"I had to learn all over again what happiness
was."
Now, five years after trying it for the first
time, the woman wants to spread the word
about its life-changing benefits.
"All I want is to help people that are seriously
ill," she said.
"People are crying for help.
"I want to help the world appreciate what they
are being denied access to."
The woman, who obtains her cannabis from
the black market, said she would like
legislation to change to allow Australians to
own a cannabis plant for both recreational and
medicinal use.
"It should go to a referendum like the [same-
sex marriage vote]," she said.
Under current federal and state legislation,
patients suffering from severe health
conditions, including epilepsy, can legally
access prescription-based medicinal cannabis.
The drugs are not smoked, but rather come in
oil and spray forms.
Gaining access to the medication, however,
can take up to several months.
It requires patients to get a prescription issued
by a Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA) and Western Australia Department of
Health authorised doctor and, since the drugs
are not included within the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme (PBS) they can come with a
significant price tag.
Dr Joe Kosterich, a medical advisor for Little
Green Pharma, said doctors had filed 4200
applications
for
medicinal
cannabis
prescriptions by February this year.
This represented a significant increase
compared to September last year, when just
1500 applications had been lodged.
Dr Kosterich said consuming cannabis
purchased on the black market was
unpredictable, illegal, and not necessarily
cheaper than accessing the drug through legal
channels.