KELLY Cameron was a woman on the edge.
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Paralysed by the pain of a chronic arthritis condition and unable to stomach opiates, the Griffith woman had nowhere left to turn.
She turned to the dark side of illegal narcotics.
Her first dalliance with medical marijuana was a cathartic experience, giving her a sense of relief she never knew existed.
Ms Cameron took to her new medicine regime with a convert’s zeal and has since become a champion of medical marijuana – a prophet of pot.
We should never forget that a compassionate few can change the world. People like Ms Cameron have, pardon the pun, helped this “grassroots” movement become a national revolution.
In the last two years, medical marijuana has gone from an issue pushed almost solely by ageing hippies from Nimbin to the cusp of legalisation.
At its core is the notion of natural justice.
There’s nothing just about a law-abiding citizen risking a criminal record just so they can take the medicine they believe works best for them.
There’s nothing just about a parent having to watch their severely epileptic child suffer constant seizures in the knowledge that treating them could see that child taken away by authorities.
There’s nothing just about an elderly person suffering the indignity of chemotherapy-induced nausea when the only drug that could help them is out of reach.
Stripped it of its emotive rhetoric – the debate was never about recreational drug use – it’s about easing the suffering of those at the end of life.
Opinion polls show more than two-thirds of Australians believe in medical marijuana.
If ordinary citizens can make the distinction between recreational and medicinal use, our politicians should too.
This remarkable campaign doesn’t just illustrate the power of the media to galvanise public opinion and shape policy.
Much like the gay marriage debate, it also stands as proof positive the community is often more socially progressive than those elected to lead it.
It’s all quite simple really.
Recreational marijuana has damaging side effects and we should discourage its use at every turn.
Medical marijuana has positive effects and we should embrace it wholeheartedly.