A man from the NSW Central Coast near Sydney, Australia, who is illegally growing marijuana which he supplies to people with anything from cancer to epilepsy, said he will “keep going it” despite the risk he runs of prison time.

Alex Impey may be seen in the eyes of the law as a criminal for growing the controlled plant, but he is seen as a hero by hundreds of sick people, many of them children, who benefit greatly from the marijuana he supplies to them.

Alex said he gets 20 new requests per week for marijuana, he told reporters.

“I’ve got people coming in all the time, who have everything from cancer to early onset Parkinson’s. And that woman [with Parkinson’s] has had remarkable results when using the cannabis, it stopped her shuddering.”

Alex spoke about certain “blokes” (Australian for “guys”) who have daughters who need the medical marijuana to help them with their pain.

“And mate, there are two blokes who both have daughters with childhood epilepsy and they have only good things to say about the effect it has had on their kids, so I will keep doing it,” said Alex.

Peter Rule is one such “bloke” whose 3-year-old daughter, Larisa, suffered brain damage at birth, leaving her partially blind and deaf, and with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Just a few days into taking the marijuana, Larisa showed a great improvement, her mother told reporters.

“People tell me I’m a terrible mother and they say things like “you wouldn’t give your daughter heroin.” But little do they realise, most of the medicines the doctors gave us before had opium in – the same plant heroin is derived from.”

Ms. Siery added, “I’m not a bad mother, I want nothing but good for my child, she was in pain, she was suffering, and I tried everything before I tried this.”

On top of that, Larisa’s father said, “A lot of people forget about the hospital time we spend trialling medications until we decided the best treatment we already had in our own backyard. Now we are regaining what should have never been lost in the first place, for some the cannabis is the last option other than death.”

Alex went on to ask what he is doing wrong by helping people in need.

“What is wrong with growing something that is helping people, we have a team of 15 growers, who supply those who cannot. It’s not about making money,” he said, “yes, I grow it but more importantly, I help set up people to help themselves.”

[Image credit: toronto.ctvnews.com]