NOT QUITE SO POTTY

[Ferre]

SINCE Tasmania's Country Women's Association voted unanimously to lobby for the trial use of marijuana for medical relief, Ailsa Bond's popular cheese and parsley scones have been the subject of many a joke.

 

"People joke that the parsley flakes could be replaced with other green

flakes!" she says.

 

The move from the CWA to get the drug approved for medical use surprised

many, but the sprightly 80-year-old responds that the organisation has

always been progressive.

 

"We've been raising social issues for 60 or 70 years," she said. "We've

talked about the value of water, the importance of trees, we've lobbied for

childcare centres, for roads, for hospitals and libraries.

 

"We've got an image that all we do is have tea and scones, but we've always

been outspoken.

 

"It's just that we haven't always been recognised for what we've done."

 

Even so, Mrs Bond said she was surprised to see her motion passed unanimously.

 

She hadn't bargained on the strong support of several members who had

nursed terminally ill partners and witnessed their pain.

 

One of the women to address the meeting was Ruth (not her real name) whose

husband died from cancer.

 

She later told the Sunday Tasmanian of her agony as her husband became so

fragile that he broke a rib just reaching over to turn off a radio, and

suffering pain so terrible it made him cry.

 

"To him, morphine was a poison," she said. "It made him so dreadfully ill,

he couldn't keep food down. He wasted away to just 48kg.

 

"The doctors tried so many other pain-killers and every anti-nausea drug

but nothing worked.

 

"It wasn't just the pain, it was the indignity."

 

Ruth read of overseas studies about the use of marijuana for pain relief

and thought it might be just the thing as it was reported to have

anti-nausea properties. But her doctor said he couldn't prescribe it.

 

"I read that smoking it was the most effective way. People think 'smoking

- -- yuck!' but when someone is near death you're hardly going to worry about

them getting lung cancer, are you?" she said.

 

"Of course, it might not have helped my husband -- but it may have done.

What harm could there be in trying it?

 

"I feel very strongly about this. People don't realise the absolute horror

of watching someone you love in so much pain."

 

Mrs Bond recalls prescribing a liquid tincture of marijuana in her early

days of pharmacy in the 1940s, before concerns grew about its recreational use.

 

"Methadone can be controlled as a treatment for heroin addicts, so why

couldn't cannabis be controlled too?" she said.

 

Another CWA member was disappointed to read in The Mercury this week that

the State Government had responded that it had no plans to legalise

medicinal use of cannabis. The woman, who is nursing a husband with

war-related health problems, wants Tasmanian laws to mirror those of South

Australia and the ACT where growing plants for personal use is tolerated.

 

"You just can't imagine the sense of hopelessness when someone is suffering

like this and something that might help is beyond your reach," she said.

[Luke Skywalker]

Thanks for that one T-boat, the CWA is indeed a good organisation, many simply think of those over 60 as being somewhat missing in the head... But they're just the same people as they were when prescribed "cannabis tincture" as young people.... They have the same feelings, emotions and lives as us, and are often all the wiser for their experience in these things.

 

Yoda is a prime example of age bringing wisdom, but I digress.

 

Let's offer a hearty ozstoners HURRAH for the lovely ladies of the CWA in Tassie, and the organisation in general. Let's hope that votes are made in other state organisations soon eh? Maybe we could get somewhere if we had the Old Aged Injured Myrtles on our side, fighting the injustices of prohibition... We could even offer cannabis cooking lessons, incorporating CWA recipies? (I'm looking in your direction Urbie... own up, you've got one too.... )

[OldmanMozz]

many simply think of those over 60 as being somewhat missing in the head... But they're just the same people as they were when prescribed "cannabis tincture" as young people....  They have the same feelings, emotions and lives as us, and are often all the wiser for their experience in these things.

Your on dangerous ground here young Skywalker

 

an I'll have another bong to ya Luke

Mozz

[Ferre]

Well I guess it's excactly this kind of movement the "cannabis lobby" needs to get better credits from the general public. Its good to see it's not only the stereotype "potheads" wanting The Herb to be just as legal as any other plant. These people represent many other people's mothers and grandmothers and have a fairly good reputation.

[Luke Skywalker]

[Tom]

Hey tboat, that didn't get reported in the papers in my corner of Tassie (not surprising), do you have a link?

[Ferre]

I got this through a Restore-Digest (NORML) newsletter but I found something on it here:

 

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s938252.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/stor...ies/s937968.htm

http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/s...55E3462,00.html

 

 

Hope it helps ya.

[Luke Skywalker]

Yeah, I heard it on Newsradio, (only station I listen to...) a couple of hours after reading that too...