Being sympathetic to a cause sounds lovely, but it’s not enough. When that cause is decriminalising medicinal cannabis, we’ve heard enough sympathy. It begins to sound like apathy. It is a delaying tactic. An excuse for further procrastination. Meanwhile, horrifically sick people – including those with terminal illness and life threatening conditions – continue to suffer unnecessarily when cannabis could afford them relief.

I certainly know what sympathy sounds like. I was a nurse for 25 years in Tamworth NSW, my husband was a police officer for 35 years and we both acted as suppliers of cannabis to our late son, Dan. We lost him to bowel cancer in February this year. He was just 25. I watched chemotherapy destroy his quality of life for three years. It caused him to suffer from uncontrolled nausea and vomiting after every chemotherapy session. We were desperate to ease his suffering.

It wasn’t until a fellow cancer sufferer suggested he try cannabis that his life with cancer became a little more tolerable. A sick young man reluctantly tried a joint and just like that, he felt so much better. He gained an appetite, had his nausea and vomiting addressed and was able to maintain his weight through his ongoing treatment.



We leant more about the effects cannabis and how new research around the world is verifying thousands of personal accounts about the benefits of cannabis for people with serious health issues. Dan’s last months with us were made more comfortable because of this.



We didn’t see ourselves as dealers. We saw ourselves as loving parents doing the very best for their child, who was suffering. We didn’t see Dan as a criminal but he certainly felt burdened by the knowledge that in the face of current laws he was one. A whole swathe of people are criminalised who shouldn’t be, simply for doing what we did.

A cross-party bill to allow medicinal cannabis under the strict control of an independent regulator is soon to be put before the parliament. This is in addition to recent announcements that Victoria is moving towards legalising medicinal cannabis in a move that premier Daniel Andrews said was one of his “proudest days in politics”.

However, both this move and the federal cross-party push require Malcolm Turnbull’s support. The new bill is a step forward, certainly, but the pace of change isn’t matching the urgency the issue requires.

The uncomplicated fact is that cannabis improves the lives of thousands of very sick and suffering Australians. This is significant because “approved” medications often fail or are commonly responsible for causing side effects which render them intolerable for the individual patient.

Over decades we’ve had numerous state and federal senate enquiries about the merits and risks of medicinal cannabis. We now have unanimous cross-party support and overwhelming public support. I started a petition on the people-power platform Change.org asking for this change. It was Dan’s wish – that others can experience the unique qualities of cannabis when they are suffering as he did.

At the time of writing, this petition has over 245,000 signatures. It’s the third biggest petition ever in Change.org Australia’s history and still growing. Reading the comments below the petition has been overwhelming for me. If Malcolm Turnbull really is the tech-savvy man-of-the-people, perhaps he’ll read some of those comments and prioritise this change.

It’s so urgent, I’ve been participating in the setting up of a compassionate access scheme with the NSW government to try and hurry this along (it has been compared to the Dallas Buyers Club). I’m just trying to help people and fulfil my promise to Dan. It’s not just cancer sufferers that cannabis helps; multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy and chronic pain are all eased by it.

All over the world medicinal cannabis is being seen in a new light, less encumbered by mistruths and more focused on emerging science. Countries who’ve approved cannabis for medical use, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Canada, Austria, Argentina, Israel and 20 American states.

In Australia the time for stalling, political grandstanding and misinformed rhetoric is over. Frustratingly, a new phase of Australian clinical trials seems to be emerging as the government’s preferred solution. But trying to make a natural botanical plant more in keeping with our perceived preference for man-made pharmaceuticals does not represent progressive and well-informed government.

It represents a political arrogance being directed by a scientific knowledge vacuum. Continued lobbying by the Therapeutic Goods Administration demonstrates a conflict of interest. The government needs to advocate for the people and not protect corporate interests inspired by profit.

The federal regulator of medicinal cannabis bill has done the work; we now have a strategy to remove this incredible burden from our sick loved ones. As a representative of patients and carers grappling with the illegality of medicinal cannabis, I urge the health minister and the new prime minister to show the compassion we’re being criminalised for showing ourselves. Being sympathetic is not sufficient; it makes no meaningful difference to the sick.

By supporting this bill (or signing the Change.org petition to help speed up the legislative change) you’ll be supporting sick people who are currently treated as criminals. You’ll pave the way for provision of a safe and regulated medicinal cannabis supply. You’ll encourage much-needed research. You’ll be helping me keep my promise to my beautiful son.

But most of all you’ll be upholding basic human rights, which should be a high priority for any democratic, responsible, forward-thinking and compassionate government.