GIVING UP CANNABIS SAVED ME, SAYS MARGARET TRUDEAU

Former PM's Wife Smoked To Cope With Mental Illness

Quitting cannabis has been an important part of her recovery from
mental illness, Margaret Trudeau said Monday at a news conference in
Vancouver for the Canadian Mental Health conference.

Trudeau, who suffers from bipolar disorder, spoke openly with
reporters about her experience with depression and the effect of her
long-term marijuana use.

"I loved marijuana. I was a hippie in the '60s," said Trudeau with a
laugh. "I started smoking at a young age. I took to it like a duck to
water. Strawberry Fields Forever and all that."

Trudeau, who will be the keynote speaker at the Vancouver conference
on March 7, said one of the difficulties in seeking help is the
stigma associated with mental illness.

There can be a consequent tendency to "isolate," said Trudeau. It's
not uncommon among sufferers, she said, to self-medicate with alcohol
or marijuana rather than reach out to family, friends or for medical
assistance.

"Marijuana can trigger psychosis," said Trudeau. "Every time I was
hospitalized it was preceded by heavy use of marijuana."

Trudeau has been hospitalized three times for mental illness. Her
first hospitalization followed the birth of her second child,
Alexandre, while she was still married to Pierre Elliot Trudeau and
living at 24 Sussex Drive.

Her most recent hospitalization followed the deaths of her son Michel
and former husband, Pierre Trudeau. Although she has suffered from
mental illness for 35 years, it was not until this most recent
hospitalization that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Trudeau said people should treat mental health as they would their
physical health, taking days off when they feel unwell. "It should be
a conversation at the kitchen table, it should be a conversation on
the way to work," Trudeau said.

"Because recognizing depression in the early stages, you can change
the course of the disease."