An open letter to Mr Simon Harris, the Minister For Health in Ireland.

We are now living in 2018 and the free use of medicinal cannabis is still illegal in this country. We are falling behind, in the US in 2017 the country made over $9 billion worth of sales and the expected figure is to rise to $11 billion in 2018. Plus thousands of new jobs created.

Amsterdam, the tourism industry is booming due to the opening of Coffee Shops. People from all over the world make the yearly pilgrimage to Amsterdam just to be able to freely smoke this plant. Again the country is sustainable because of the money created from the tourists who are visiting the country due to this plant and the cannabis is taxed (like in America) and it is worth billions of euros annually to the government in the Netherlands.

Let's talk about the health implications.

1. It reduces suicide rates in countries where it is legal to use.

2. It is cancers worst enemy. Cannabis kills growing cancer cells. It all comes down to the immune system and its susceptibility to cannabis oil. Not only does it help to rid the body of cancer cells, but it is the perfect medication for patients going through chemotherapy. Nausea, pain, and depression can be treated with heavy doses of certain cannabis strains (you have to remember that there is thousands of different cannabis strains and each one has a different effect on the body and mind. The same as any pharmaceutical drug).

3. Benefits are seen in immune function, neuroplasticity, emotional and mood regulation, vascular health and digestive function. Research is limited but studies of the endocannabinoid system suggest benefits may include neuroprotection (in MS, epilepsy, other movement disorders), and benefit in a number of mood and anxiety disorders.

4. The health benefits of medical marijuana include relief from pain and muscle spasm, nausea associated with chemotherapy (as already mentioned), and anorexia.

5. Depression

6. Anxiety

7. Fibromyalgia

8. epilepsy (seizure disorders)

9. Insomnia

10. Autism

11. Multiple sclerosis

12. inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease

13. Alzheimer's

14. Parkinson's

15. In the case of Vera Twomey's daughter, Ava Barry who suffers from Dravet's Syndrome, an incurable form of epilepsy only healed by Medicinal Cannabis Oil

I could literally go on and on about the health benefits of this incredible naturally growing plant that has been used for thousands of years.



This plant is proven the world over to have amazing health qualities. So why is it illegal? It really does not make sense. To quote TD Gino Kenny "People with these terrible illnesses, who are in such terrible pain should not be criminalised, it’s as simple as that,”

he continued on to say

"Someone in pain would do anything to take away that pain. We should not criminalise those that use it for that purpose. I think there is a huge groundswell of support with the public to allow cannabis to be used for medicinal purpose, for people with serious illnesses, like MS and cancer".



As minister for health and for the care of Irish people, Minister Simon Harris I want you to have a good long hard think about the legalisation of cannabis. The health impact for people in pain, the massive impact it would have on tourism and revenue in this country and also freeing up the time of Gardai in this country so they can concentrate on catching actual criminals and not putting someone through the court system because they like to sit at home and smoke cannabis to help take the pain away.



I hope with enough signatures that this petition will reach you.

Simon Harris

simon.harris@oireachtas.ie

Yours sincerely,

Craig Butler