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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1673 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

So, where there would have been a greater demand, I think, for the use of medicinal cannabis for nausea associated with chemotherapy five or 10 years ago, we would probably see much less demand now. But there are still people who suffer quite severe nausea associated with chemotherapy. These are people who are already in the most awful of circumstances, having been diagnosed with cancer, and who are wrestling with cancer, knowing that they have a limited chance of survival. When conventional medicines do not work, we should have enough compassion to say, "Yes, you can use a small amount of cannabis and we are not going to fine you; we are not going to penalise you for that".

There are powerful drugs used for AIDS, drugs such as AZT, and also for wasting associated with AIDS, and many AIDS sufferers make it very clear that cannabis helps them. It is also used for pain relief in cases such as MS and other problems. Also, it has been found useful for a small number of people who suffer anorexia/bulimia. In those cases it seems to make sense that cannabis creates an appetite. In fact, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I can remember from my university days people using the term "the munchies". I presume it is the same sort of effect.

To illustrate the point, I would like to read from a couple of letters. This letter is from somebody who has been suffering, and it says this:

At four years of age I was injured in a car accident, breaking both feet, among other injuries, so badly that they never set.

21 years after I had a triple bone fusion to my right ankle as I was having difficulties walking. From that operation I ended up with Osteomylitist, the doctor and hospital involved denied ever treating me and this condition remained untreated for three years ...

The osteo-arthritris I have suffered since childhood only added to the constant pain that I have suffered since that operation in 1978. Pain so dreadful that fifteen Orthopaedic surgeons that I have seen since have said that they themselves could not live with such pain but I will have to. Of all the S8 drugs that I have had prescribed to me, nothing has worked as well as cannabis for pain relief.

I have been smoking on and off for 22 years now purely for pain relief.

I presume this person has been smoking cannabis for that time. The letter continues:

I don't look like a smoker and I kept quiet, never smoking away from home, always careful to disguise the smell of it with incense, one of the last persons to be suspected.

A phonecall to Billy Tait offering support on the 11th February 1997 resulted in my husband and I being served with a search warrant the following day and our subsequent arrest for possession and cultivation.

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